


Aqua Affinity

by SassyMcWinchester



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions, Pokemon
Genre: F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Pokemon Fanfiction, Team Aqua - Freeform, What Have I Done, let archie say fuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2018-03-10 02:19:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 103,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3273140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassyMcWinchester/pseuds/SassyMcWinchester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noel is a 25 year old scientist, born and raised in Mossdeep. Also a competitive battler on the side. She was only supposed to take a vacation to the Orange Islands, but something happens that nobody could have envisioned. Noel will experience turmoil, frustration, battling, and romance, all in the likes of Team Aqua. However, will Kyogre be in her future? Or perhaps even more?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Noel

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Just to let you know, this is a fic that I didn't know would spark at all, but it did. That's why chapter one is so short, but they get longer as they progress! This is based off of OR/AS models, also paralleling the Team Aqua side of the game. I think it's time we see what it's like behind the scenes of Team Aqua. :) Enjoy reading!

Noel's alarm clock went off at a blasting volume, causing her to snort out of her slumber and pop her eyes open. Swampert was staring at her face, seeming to be waiting for its owner to rise and shine.

"'Ey, Swampert…" she sat up straight at stretched, "I see you're waiting patiently…" she yawned.

Swampert let out an enthusiastic "GUH", closing its eyes in a smile.

Swooping her legs over the edge of the bed, she pushed her curled toes against the floorboards until each of them cracked. Standing up, she felt a bolt of energy crackle through her body.

"ALL RIGHT, SWAMPERT!" she pointed to the ceiling with her other hand cocked on her hip. "TODAY IS THE DAY!" she grabbed the clothes on top of her suitcase and got changed, packing away her pajamas into the hamper.

In its mouth, Swampert held a backpack, its fin on its backside seeming to wag in eagerness. As it watched Noel pack her essentials into the outer pockets, it seemed to purr when she was finished, patting its head in approval. She slung the backpack over her shoulder.

"You didn't have to hold that, buddy. It's okay." she rubbed Swampert's head. "But thank you very much."

Looking around her quiet, one floor home, she knew she had nothing else to pack for her short trip. Before switching the light off, she walked over to her dresser and picked up a picture frame. Smiling a little softer, she kissed the image.

"Don't worry father, I promise I'll be careful." she dusted the frame quickly before setting it back down.

Swampert looked at her with concern.

"It's okay, buddy. I'm fine. Let's get going." she flipped the light switch and closed the door behind her.

Mossdeep's blazing hot sun met her face as she emerged from her home. Swampert also felt the heat, shading its eyes as Noel locked the house. It tugged on her shirt. Noel understood and pulled out a pokeball, returning Swampert to its sweet shelter. Looking around, she saw the local children playing in the grass, careful not to touch the pavement in fear of their little feet burning. Noel's home was on the northern end of Mossdeep City, in the same row of houses of local legend, Steven Stone. Her and that silver-haired dreamboat had known each other for years, her watching him as he succeeded to fame when becoming Hoenn's Pokémon League Champion. Sighing, she walked forward onto the pavement, flip-flops squeaking, and smiled at the residents as she passed. Feeling the sweat bead on her forehead, she had to stop for a moment to tie her brunette hair into a ponytail. Summers were wonderful times for cruises, but it was ungodly hot. In her paused state, she took in the smells of her wonderful island. Flowery with a hint of rocket fuel. She watched the waves roll in the distance, seeing the figures of children and adults alike, splashing about and enjoying their days. As she was about to handle her suitcase again, her backpack was being tugged on. Turning her head, she saw the talons of a Skarmory tugging her straps.

"Noel!" came a voice. "Thank Arceus I caught up to you in time!"

Steven Stone was jogging in her general direction. Sighing, Noel smiled and opened her arms for a hug. Steven gladly entered the hug, gripping her tight and spinning around.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" she laughed as he set her down.

"Not at all. I'm just sad to see you leave Mossdeep."

"Steven, it's only for two weeks. Isn't a girl allowed to have a vacation?" she fixed her hair now that it was all messy from the twirl.

"Yea, but, you hardly ever leave your house, let alone the island." Steven sneered.

"You shut your mouth, I do too." she frowned. "Professor Cosmo needs me at the station every day, so I do too leave my house." pointing at him judgingly, she continued. "And YOU leave the island all the time, being champion and shit, so don't get all sappy with seeing ME go."

Tapping his own chin he smirked. "Yes, but that is to leave you wondering and begging for your beloved neighbor to return." he winked. "So I can swoop you off your feet and tell you that I won again, for the sake of the island!" he mimicked the motion of 'sweeping her off her feet'.

"Yea, okay." she motioned for him to walk with her. "Don't you fret that head of yours; it's just a boat ride to the Orange Islands. Father sailed all the time and I never worried."

Concern was in Steven's voice. "Yes, but, Noel, there's supposed to be a storm tonight. Are you sure you can't just wait another day? Or have me take you?"

"Steven, I swear to Arceus, I'm twenty-five, not a teenager. I can deal." she persuaded. "Besides, I love the water. Not the air so much."

"You're so stubborn…" he mumbled.

"Stubborn enough to take a boat? Jeez, Steven, come on." she pouted now, sensing his actual concern. "What if I call you like, every half hour or something?"

"Every half hour makes it sound like we're dating. How about every 45 minutes?"

"If I have signal, you'll hear your PokeNav beep with a call every 45 minutes." she smiled. "Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan." he smiled back.

Reaching the edge of the beach where her small boat was waiting, Steven sighed one last time.

"Just be careful. And if you see any rare stones, hook a guy up, would you?" he beamed with happiness at the thought of more rocks to his collection.

"Okay, Steven. I'll try not to use any sun stones I may come across. I'll see you in two weeks." she hugged him again, Skarmory perching itself on him as they let go.

Steven took a step back, arms at his sides formally. Noel clambered onto the small boat and took a seat, getting her bearings. The kind ship captain and her exchanged thumbs up, giving the signal to start the engine. The engine started, shooting up little bubbles to the surface of the foamy water. The plank Noel stood on to board the boat was stashed onto the deck, allowing the boat to pull forward. Waving to those standing on the beach, Noel smiled as she saw her beloved friend wave back. Their bodies got smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing as they were well along Route 125.

The ferry ride was meant to be a short trip, stopping at Lilycove City so Noel could board the actual ferry she would ride to the Orange Islands. Before Lilycove though, there was the hour of bliss aboard the quaint one. The captain was whistling in front of his control panel that controlled the engine. As Noel looked at the blue sky, her mind danced with the possibilities she could face on her small adventure. Perhaps she would find some rare Pokémon to catch and bring back to the space station. Or maybe she would get some sunbathing in, or possibly explore the caves the islands had to offer. Her daydreams were interrupted by the captain's voice.

"It's quite an honor to be sailing you, Miss Noel. Your father rode these waters with me all the time." he chuckled in that cute old man way. "He always told me such cute things about his wonderful daughter. And with that team of yours, I believe him. You are wonderful."

"Oh stop, Mr. Sturth." she smiled. "You're too kind." she watched Wingull fly over their boat. "Besides, I could never beat Steven. I may have beaten my father, but Steven is just too much."

"Nonsense, child." he tittered. "I'll tell you what. When you return from your vacation, I'll happily sail you to Ever Grande any day."

"That sounds like a deal." she turned her head towards him and gave him a smile.

When they reached Lilycove, their small boat docked at the edge of the beach, allowing her to hop off the side with her bags. Waving to her captain one last time, he tooted the boat's horn and made his way back to Mossdeep. Taking in the crisp Lilycove air, Noel lifted her suitcase above the sand and waddled her way across the steaming hot sand, attracting the attention of beach goers all around her. Men playing volleyball laughed at her as she hopped, skipped, and 'yowch'ed her way across the beach. When she finally reached the sidewalk, she looked up at the powerful lighthouse that loomed over the city. And while Mossdeep was bigger than Lilycove, Lilycove was hustling and bustling with people. Keeping silently to her side of the walkway, she kept her eyes straight as she panned out her way to the docks. She pulled out her PokeNav.

"Well, look at that… I've got an hour to kill until I need to board." she put it away again. "Now then…what to do." she looked around. "There are contests to watch, I could visit the mall…" a man at the edge of the road caught her eye, garbed in a red sweater with red hair, glasses reflecting the sunlight. He seemed to be watching something. Straightening up, she realized she needed to go down that direction to cross the street anyway, so she mustered her courage and continued to walk. When she made her way to the stranger with the red hair, she saw that he seemed to be a man in his thirties. That's what she thought anyway. He was stern looking, but very smart looking. They seemed to be waiting for the same thing; for the crosswalk to turn green.

"Aren't you a little warm?" she asked, friendly smile. "That's quite the turtleneck you've got there."

The man looked at her. They were about the same height, and if anything, he was two inches taller than her, maybe three. Not only was he wearing a red turtleneck, but he wore a red long sleeved jacket on top of it, too. Even his eyes were red.

"I'm quite comfortable in this heat." he replied. "I'm not much for the cold."

"I'm dying in this heat, quite honestly." she wiped her forehead. "I'm sorry; I'm not the best with conversation. I'm just trying to get to the loading dock."

"As am I." he smiled. "And if you aren't fond of conversation, why start one with me?"

"You caught my attention." she smiled. "The glint of that Key Stone captured me."

He seemed surprised, but intrigued. "You can tell that this is a key stone, eh?"

The crosswalk turned green, allowing them to cross.

"My best friend is really into stones." she said, maneuvering around pedestrians. "And my father taught me about all the types of mega stones when I was younger."

"How interesting." the man glanced at his watch.

They had successfully crossed to the other sidewalk, moseying along past the contest hall.

"I'm sorry, I hope I'm not bugging you." she looked up, slightly panicked.

"Don't worry about it. I need some enticing conversation before this awful departure." he scrunched his nose.

"I understand." she laughed. "So enough about my stone crap, what about you? Why are you headed to the docks?"

"I'm meeting some people there." he turned a bit more serious.

"Business." she nodded. "I got it."

"And you?" he asked, turning his head towards her.

"Vacation." she shrugged. "Kinda."

"Meaning?"

"Even though these are my vacation days, I'm still going to research the Orange Islands' Pokémon for Professor Cosmo. I'm supposed to be relaxing, but hey, I can't."

They headed down a stairwell, Noel having to lift her suitcase higher up off the wheels so it wouldn't drag.

"So you're a scientist?" he asked her.

"Of sorts." she smiled through her tense face, focusing on not falling down the stairs. "I help study the types of Pokémon around the region, evolution, mostly. Cosmo believes evolution is an otherworldly phenomenon. I also help care for the ocean around Mossdeep. I don't want the rocket fuel effecting the Pokémon that live in the ocean." she explained.

"I see." he watched as she made her way down the stairs a bit slower, finally plonking her suitcase back down. "Well that's very noteworthy of you."

"Pardon?" she asked, wiping sweat from her eyes.

There isn't an inkling of sweat on him. What the hell?

"Nothing." he sighed, looking at the docks ahead of them. "Anyway, I believe this is our stop. It was a pleasure speaking with you." he stuck his hand out.

"Noel." she smiled, shaking his hand.

"Maxie." he nodded, creased mouth returning to his face.

As he walked away she called out. "Maxie!"

He turned.

"When I see you again, I want to battle your mega-evolved Pokémon. I want to see what power's in your key stone." she smiled confidently.

Maxie chuckled. "That's a promise, young lady."


	2. Wreckage

The massive ship blared its horn at departure time, rattling the eardrums of anybody in the vicinity. Noel stood on the deck, hands gripping the railing, and smiled wide as she saw the whole city quiver before the large vessel. The sun still pounded on her back, insinuating that she may receive a sunburn before they even reached the Orange Islands. Horn blaring again, Noel had to cover her ears as it was even louder than the first. Scrambling passengers made their way on deck, fumbling with the weight of their bags. Laughing, Noel decided this would be a great time to let out Swampert. Grabbing its Pokeball, she brought him out onto the wooden floor of the deck. Intrigue filling its eyes, it too grabbed the railing with its massive hands.

"Isn't this cool, Swampert? We're going to be in a whole new place for two weeks. Maybe we'll meet some new friends, huh?" she smiled, rubbing her partner's head.

Swampert let out an excited "GRAAAH!" in agreement.

In a powerful lurch forward, the vessel began moving. Slowly but surely, the waving pedestrians on the ground got farther away. When she thought for a moment, she remembered she hadn't seen Maxie board the ship.

"Well, he didn't forget…it's business after all." she muttered to herself. "Wait, why do I care?" she asked, confused.

"Guh?" Swampert looked curiously at her.

"Did you feel it too, Swampert?" she asked. "The power inside of his Pokeballs?" her eyes glimmered with excitement.

Swampert nodded.

"I thought so." she smiled, looking to Lilycove again, which was now much smaller. "But then again, maybe we won't get to battle him. Which is a shame, I know you guys haven't had a good battle in a while." she motioned to her five other Pokeballs.

As the ship moved onward, Lilycove wasn't even a particle anymore. Looking longingly out, she realized she needed to call Steven.

"Let's see what he's up to." she pulled her PokeNav out.

Dialing the number of his PokeNav, it didn't take long for him to pick up. She saw his flustered face on the screen.

"Noel! It's about time. I've been awaiting your call."

Noel sat on a beach chair available on deck. "I thought so. It's so interesting, being away from Mossdeep. Lilycove looked so incredibly busy though. But beautiful at the same time."

"Sturth tells me that you're itching to battle me, hmm?" a twinkle appeared in his eye.

"OH STOP. I said no such thing. However, I am 'itching' to battle somebody else I've met today." she rubbed her chin, Swampert nestling on the floor beside her, looking into the screen. "He had a key stone."

Steven's eyes widened. "You don't say?"

"Embedded in his glasses. I could spot it yards away."

"Who is this man? Do I have competition?" he asked.

"He said his name was Maxie. We only spoke for a little while, calm your stones, Steven." she rolled her eyes.

As the two talked over the PokeNav, the sun was already beyond overhead. Swampert made faces at Steven when he talked, snickering when Skarmory came on the screen as well.

"How's the rest of the team?" Steven asked.

"Swampert obviously has his sea legs." she patted Swampert's head. "But everyone else…not so much." Static began interrupting the call. "Shit. Steven, we must be near Pacificdlog, cause I'm losing signal." she stuck her tongue out. "Call you later!"

"You..fzzzt…better..!" the call ended.

Sighing, she stood up and stretched. "Let's go, Swampert." she lifted the Pokeball. "Let's get to our room."

Nodding, Swampert went back to its ball. Attaching it firmly to her belt, she grabbed her bags and made her way to the rooming area of the ship, passing other people on her way, again, no signs of Maxie.

"Oh well…" she sighed. "Another day I'll nab 'im."

Turning down a hallway, she looked for room 302. Reaching the end of the hallway, she found it. It was at the complete opposite end of the entranceway, so she knew she'd have some walking to do. Unlocking her room, she valued the whirl of air conditioning that met her as she entered. Closing the door behind her, she plopped her bags on the floor and jumped onto the bed. One of her Pokeballs began to rattle with excitement, eventually popping open. Ludicolo burst from the ball, rather excited.

"Ludicolo! What the heck, bud? What's got you so riled up?" she asked, sitting up.

It waved its hands in circles. "Ludiludicolo!"

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

Ludicolo nodded.

"Alright, fine. You're spoiling your dinner, though." she dug in her suitcase for Ludicolo's food, unwrapping the full food bowl from the baggie she kept it in. "Here you go." she placed it on the floor. "Just for you."

Ludicolo sat down with a big plop, nodding at Noel in gratitude, then began eating. Noel rubbed Ludicolo's 'sombrero' while it ate, relaxing it a little bit.

"I know you haven't quite acquired your sea legs yet, even though you're part water type. But it's okay, you know I'm here to help."

Ludicolo seemed to purr in happiness, knowing that its trainer was there for it. When Ludicolo was finished eating, Noel put him back in his ball. She then cleaned the food dish in a sink given to her, then putting it back in the suitcase. Yawning, she flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day. A long, sweaty day. Feeling a nap tug at her eyelids, she gave in, falling asleep to the gentle rocking of the waves.

 

Comfort didn't last very long, for a crash against the side of the ship jostled Noel awake, startling her. It was almost completely dark in her room, so she turned her bedside lamp on. Glancing at the clock, she realized she had been asleep for two hours. Standing, she made no hesitation when looking through her small porthole. She saw dark clouds envelop the sky, waves getting larger and more aggressive. Steven had a mentioned a storm was on the rise, and she realized that he was right, but he didn't know the magnitude. The clouds were an agonizing shade of grey that showed this was no passing storm. Surely soon enough, Mossdeep would be experiencing the same storm. Exiting her room, she noticed the lights in the ceiling began flickering. Closing the door behind her, she slowly made her way up the hallway, hearing the talking in other rooms about the storm.

"It's okay, Noel…" she whispered to herself. "It's just a storm. It'll pass."

As she completed her thought, another wave crashed into the side of the ship, knocking Noel into the opposite wall. Gaining her balance, she watched the entire hallway go dark, along with hearing shrieking in one of the rooms. Gulping, she moved at a faster pace, pushing on the exit door to go outside. There were some staircases that led up and out to the deck, and she carefully made her way up them, being careful with how often she looked out the portholes. Breathing quickening, she pushed her way out onto the deck, where she realized that balance was not the most inviting factor. Rain was pounding onto the floor of the deck, seeming almost like hail with how it bounced off the wood. Looking around, she saw how the chairs had been put away, and how there were staff gripping the rail tightly. Making her way to the other end of the deck, rainwater flooded her eyes, making her want to go back to her room, but she felt like she needed to assess the situation on all ends. Suddenly, a body had run right into her. Looking up as she fell back onto her behind, she saw a red outfit, similar to what Maxie was wearing. In fact, she was almost certain it  _was_ Maxie.

"Maxie…?!" she shouted against the wind and rain.

The figure grabbed her by the front of her shirt and lifted her up.

"Wait, who are you?!" she shouted, realizing her mistake.

"Go back to your room, woman! This is not a place for you to be!" the figure shouted right back, almost threatening her.

Heeding the person's orders, she backed up and proceeded right back the way she came, down the flights of stairs and back to the hallway she belonged. However, there was a god-awful knot twisting in her stomach, and she felt the only way to ease it was to see what was going on. Racing back to her room, she grabbed her backpack, the pack that was filled with potions and equipment. Tying it around her body for extra protection, she headed back out into the hallway. However, when she glanced to the exit door, she saw more people with red outfits on enter the hallway. Storming forward, she cracked her knuckles.

"Lady, we need you to go back to your room." one of them blocked her. "It isn't safe out there."

"My father is on the first floor, my friend was down here. I needed to calm her down." she lied. "So please allow me to go upstairs."

A male and female contender exchanged glances. "Alright. But hurry up."

Speeding up the stairs, Noel passed the first floor completely and went straight for the deck. A humongous wave crashed against the side of the ship, smashing Noel into the railing of the staircase. Looking out the porthole, she saw that the waves were only getting worse. Grinding her teeth, she burst through the doors to the deck and nearly slid flat on her backside, not being able to balance with the deck slippery. The person from before seemed to have vanished, so Noel made her way to the other end of the deck, where the crew was most likely nestled.

"Father, give me strength!" she shouted as she endured the wind.

The captain would need to send a message through the intercom to calm down the passengers. Perhaps Noel, with her father being who he was, could get this ship to stop. As she made her way into the crew's hallways, she made a beeline for the main steps that led to the Captain's deck. On her way, in the corner of her eye, she saw more red thugs walk into one of the hallways. Pressing herself against the wall to hide, she listened closely to what was happening. There were four of them, they seemed to be holding something.

"Is the sub ready for the leader?" one asked.

"Affirmative. Once these are planted, we make our way to the rescue ships and follow the leader to safety." another said.

"In this storm? On life boats?" a third one gasped.

"Mightyena will use Protect for us. We'll be fine." The second one replied confidently. "Now c'mon, let's get to the rendezvous points and plant these fuckers. Aqua isn't getting their shipment."

The deck doors slammed shut from the wind once they had exited. Panic flowing through Noel's veins, she needed to get to the Captain as fast as she could. Racing up the stairs, she shoved the door open, seeing a panel of radar and controls. She had reached the top, the Captain's room.

"CAPTAIN! I have no time to explain who I am, I just need you to stop this ship and call for rescue! There's this…this group! I overheard them talking about…about bombs! And lifeboats, and a submarine!" she shouted, walking closer and closer to the man at the helm. "Are you listening to me?! We need to stop!"

The man at the helm was not facing her, however, when she smelled what she had, she understood why. There was a bullet hole through the back of the Captain's head. This was brain smell she was inhaling. It took all of her might to not buckle over and vomit, but she did cover her mouth and stomach with separate hands.

"Sweet Arceus, what the fuck…WHAT THE FUCK…!" she screamed as she gagged and nearly cried.

Thoughts raced through her head as she tried thinking of a solution to this problem, this horrible, horrible problem. That was when she heard footsteps to her right. Turning, she gulped in horror as she realized who she was looking at.

"Noel. Pleasure to see you again." they stepped out of the darkness of the room.

"Maxie?" a lump formed in her throat. "Mother fuck, Maxie, did you do this?...!" her body shook, terrified.

"I can't lie to you, Noel. Yes, I killed the Captain. But, darling, you need to understand." he walked forward. "This ship needs to go."

"What about all the people on board?! Maxie, they'll die!" she tried not to scream at this man.

"Nonsense. I called for help long ago. Once those who can jump overboard, they shouldn't be in any danger of the explosion. Pokémon Rangers will pick them up, safe and sound." he wiped the barrel of his gun, returning it to its holster.

"I can't believe this…" Noel whispered, eyes wide.

"Believe it." Maxie looked at his watch. "And while it sinks in, you should probably run." his brows furrowed, hand moving to her back to push her out of the room with him. "GO!"

Horrified, eyes like dinner plates of fear, Noel ran down the steps, nearly tripping several times, and made her way out onto the deck. As rain and wind pounded her skin, she turned to look at Maxie. Before any more words could come out of her mouth, a pulse from below deck rattled her onto the floor, nearly knocking the oxygen from her lungs. Gazing up at Maxie, he had brought out a Crobat, which allowed Maxie onto its back.

"MAXIE!" she screamed.

The Crobat flew off, disappearing into the darkness of clouds and wind. Noel, trying to keep hold of her sanity, rose to her feet.

"That was an explosion from below deck." she looked around. "These people…I need to help them!"

She ran down flights of stairs and swung the doors open, pulling the fire alarm on each floor. Using her screams, she led all passengers to the main deck. Pulling out a Pokeball, she released a Metagross.

"EVERYBODY, YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO ME!" she screamed as more waves jostled the ship. "MY METAGROSS IS GOING TO LOWER YOU INTO THE WATER WITH ITS PSYCHIC! POKÉMON RANGERS ARE ON THE WAY, PLEASE, STAY CALM!"

Metagross lifted passengers into the air and slowly lowered them into lifeboats that had fallen overboard. In the distance, she could start to hear the boats of rangers, filling her with hope. Suddenly, there was another explosion, closer to the top than before, sending dozens of people overboard, face first into the deck, or just knocked around. Noel had lost control of the passengers, and Metagross was beginning to get scared. Once all children were off board, Metagross went back into its ball, terrified. Another explosion, even closer, blew bits of the ship apart, launching Noel into a railing of the ship, this time losing the air in her lungs. As she gasped for air, she looked down at the ranger boats collecting the passengers. Another wave hit the ship, allowing the structure that had been blown up to begin to crumble. Her grasp on the railing was no more, the wave catapulting her back onto the floor of the deck. Coughing and sputtering, she rolled into another railing, grabbing it for support. Opening her eyes, she saw where the final explosion would go off; the entrance to the Captain's quarters. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she staggered up and leaned on the railing. Suddenly there was a blast, a tinge of heat on her skin, and the thrust of being propelled forward. Through the air she flew, over the railing and into the ocean, head first. Swallowed by dark water, Noel forced her body to move, enduring the pain and water entering her lungs and pulling herself to the surface. Once she reached the surface, she took a huge gasp of air and sputtered, spit and water conjoining to run down her chin. Keeping herself afloat, she grabbed Swampert's Pokeball, kissed it, and tossed it into the air. As Swampert emerged, a wave overtook her head, sending her back under. Clawing to the surface once again, Swampert pulled her onto its back.

"Swampert!" she coughed. "Surf! We need to get out of here…!"

Nodding confidently, Swampert swam forward. Noel grabbed hold of her partner tightly, fearing she may fall off and lose her beloved Pokémon. However, after several moments, she realized that they were nowhere near the ship, or any of the rangers. Panic filling her again, she was worried that Swampert may get them lost at sea, and before she could interject its direction, she felt the pull of the water. Swampert was traveling with the waves, ensuring the easiest and safest way to safety. Panic subsided, for the moment, as she patted her partner's head.

"Good thinking, buddy. You know better than me." she rested her head against the back of its.

Swampert nodded, continuing its trek forward. Following the flow of the waves made for an easier travel, not being buried by seawater and foam. There were instances where water did splash into Noel's nose, but it wasn't anything like being held underwater. Swampert knew what it was doing, which made Noel rest easier.

Noel must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes, the rain had subsided to a simple drizzle. Swampert was, like before, staring at her, waiting for her to wake up. She felt her backpack still secured firmly around her body.

"Swampert…" she sat up painfully, suddenly realizing they were on sandy land. "Swampert! You did it!" she hugged it tightly, its huge arm wrapping around her in return. "I'm so proud of you."

Smiling cockily, Swampert nodded with a "GRUH." in response.

"I need to check on everyone else, they must be so shaken up." she held all of the balls in her hands. "Everyone, come out!"

Every one of her Pokémon, one by one, were released onto the sandy beach around her. Ludicolo, a Swellow, a Glalie, Metagross, and a Salamence met her with a dizzy expression plastered to all of their faces. Swellow looked the most agitated, constantly shaking out its feathers to spare itself of rainwater.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked them all, concern clouding her eyes.

All gave her a nod, setting her at ease for the moment. "Thank Arceus…" she let out a breath. "Okay." she looked up at the sky, clouds a light grey, storm still lingering. "We need to figure out where we are, and right now." she pulled her PokeNav out, hoping that the advertisements were right about it being waterproof. "I'm going to check the map first."

The PokeNav clicked on, which was a good sign, and Noel promptly selected the map. After a brief loading screen, Noel saw a lot of blue. Blue meant ocean, a LOT of ocean. After a few more minutes, a message on the screen popped up.

"Cannot secure location…?" she read aloud. "You're kidding me." she tapped 'refresh'.

_CANNOT SECURE LOCATION_

"You're fucking kidding me." she grinded her teeth, hitting 'refresh' again.

_CANNOT SECURE LOCATION_

"Dammit!" she threw the device into the sand, tears welling in her eyes.

Salamence went over to her, patting her back with a wing. It then gestured her to Swellow, who had been staring at her for a brief minute.

"You want me to board Swellow to take a look?" she asked.

Salamence nodded.

"Okay." she wiped her face. "Okay. I'll ride Swellow." she picked up her PokeNav and returned it to her backpack. She then returned her friends to their Pokeballs.

Swellow tracked over to her, spreading its wings. Noel climbed on, Swellow flapping into the air with its powerful wings. They were a good distance above the island they were on, Noel investigating carefully. There were no buildings, just plenty of trees and sand. She heard the cries of some Pokémon, but they sounded small. There was nothing to be worried about, if being stranded in the middle of the ocean was nothing. Swellow flew over trees, trying to get a gist of its current airspace. The island was rather small, so it didn't seem odd that there were no real buildings atop it. However, she did find it odd that there wasn't even a small island cottage or anything. Looking down at Swellow in a sort of defeat, it acknowledged her and landed back on the beach where they washed up.

"I have no idea where we are, guys…I have no idea what to do…" she mumbled mostly to Swellow. "I can try Steven." she thought aloud. "Yea. The map may not have worked, but maybe…maybe Steven…!" she smiled, a smile filled with a weak hope.

Pulling her PokeNav out once again, she tabbed over to the phone icon. She scrolled down to Steven's name and dialed. The ringing sequence popped up on screen.

"Come on, Steven…please pick up…please…" she whispered into the screen.

As she thought she had gotten through, connection gave out, filling the screen with static. Mouth hanging open in denial, she squinted at her device.

"No…" she tapped the screen. "No, no…no! Don't do this to me, Steven…please connect…" she tried again. "I'll try again, maybe…maybe then…"

However many times she tried, she had the same result. They even tried flying around the island again in search of a better signal, but Noel was just left in tears. Landing once again, Noel buried her head into her Pokémon, crying into its feathers. Swellow wrapped its wing around her, almost as sad as she was. They were lost. Hopelessly, miserably lost. Stranded.

"Oh, Swellow…what are we going to do…" she sniffled.

 

What she did was lie in the sand, trying to think of what else she could possibly do. It was night again, only this time, she could see the stars. The clouds had cleared away and an ocean's chill blew with the wind. She didn't shiver, she just counted the constellations. She didn't want to bring anybody out for company, either. She didn't need to see her defeated like this.

"How could Maxie do such a thing…" she said to the stars. "Endanger so many people…kill the captain…endanger my life, and even worse, my Pokémon." blinking, she reached her hand into the air. "Maxie…you're an awful man." she made her hand into the shape of a gun, pretending to shoot the sky. "But I need to know why you did it." she lowered her arm into the sand again.

Sleep tugged at her eyelids. "Fuck you, Maxie…"

Noel was awoken by voices in the sand. There was also a lot of shuffling going on, and also a lot of growling.

"Hey…over here…!" a voice shouted.

"Go away…I just want to sleep…" Noel whispered, knowing they couldn't hear her.

Feet made their way across the sand at alarming speed. Suddenly, there was a torch in her face, making her open her eyes. Men and women in blue and black clothing were kneeling next to her. One woman was snapping her fingers.

"You alive, hey?" she halted her Mightyena. "I'm asking you a question, woman."

Noel groaned. "Yea…get that light out of my face…" she sat up dizzily.

The voices were hazy to her now, breaking into fragments.

"Call…in to Shelly. Tell 'er we've….wash-up." a man ordered.

Noel started becoming more aware. "Wash-up…?" she staggered to her feet clumsily. "Are you with those people?! The ones who blew up the ship?!" she stumbled backwards, away from them.

"What people?" the same woman asked her. "What do you know about the explosion?"

"You people are in blue now? Are you…are you trying to confuse me…?! I know criminals like you…wait…blue outfits?" she held her head.

"She's confused." a man confirmed. "Zubat, come here."

"Wait, wait! What are you going to do?!" Noel stuck her hands out to protect herself.

"Lady, you need to relax…just breathe, we ain't gonna hurt you." the woman stuck her hand out to attempt to calm her down. JJ, come on. Do it." she asked the man.

"Zubat, use Hypnosis." he ordered the Zubat.

"Wait…!" a calming frequency echoed into her brain.

"Shush now, you're alright." was the last thing she heard before blacking out.

**Back at Mossdeep City**

**T** he wind shook the space center with a ravenous strike. Now running on a generator, all residents of Mossdeep were huddled in the main lobby of the space center. All were watching the news on the lobby's wide screen television, most children asleep and adults covering themselves with blankets and towels. Many were relaxed. Steven, on the other hand, was sitting in the center of the group, keeping his eyes on the television screen.

_"_ _Thank you for staying tuned to Hoenn Channel 7 News, keeping you updated on the storm that's currently passing over Mossdeep city."_

A bead of sweat formed on the man's forehead, curling his shaking hands into fists.

_"_ _We've just gotten information on the ocean liner that was sailing to the Orange Islands earlier today."_

Captain Sturth was sitting behind Steven, patting his shoulder. "My boy, she is a strong one. She will be perfectly fine."

_"_ _This just in: Ocean Liner 1967 was caught up in the storm. Even further, we have reports that the ship encountered a criminal attack, the ship breaking apart from several crude explosions, eventually sinking into the sea."_

Steven's heart nearly stopped, Sturth gripping his shoulder tight.

_"_ _However, through this shocking development, we have also received word that passengers were rescued by a band of Pokémon Rangers, thanks to a brave Pokémon trainer that helped them into lifeboats and to safety."_

A blast of hope shot through Steven's body, bringing him to a smile. Palms sweaty, he tried shaking the worry out of his head. However, the hope was soon shattered.

_"_ _There is currently no sign of the brave trainer, profiled to be Noel Wilson of Mossdeep City, daughter of the renowned Elite Four member, Demetrius Wilson."_ Noel's picture appeared on screen. There was her long brown hair, her deep blue eyes, and the freckles splashed across her face.

"W…what…?" Steven's heart sank to the floor, stomach flipping over and turning inside out. "That's…that's not possible…"

_"_ _Here are some eyewitness accounts from the shocking events from the ship."_

An elderly woman appeared on screen.  _"This girl was so commandeering. She had this silver Metagross, nothing like I have ever seen before. She lowered us into the water as carefully as possible. She's a saint, that girl. I hope to Arceus that she makes it into safe hands."_

Steven's hands shook. "A…silver Metagross…"

A man appeared on screen.  _"Suddenly there was an explosion from the decks and she was gone. I think she may have been blown overboard. May Arceus keep her safe."_

Finally, a ranger appeared on screen.  _"We did sweeps all around the wreckage, there's no sign of a body. If she is indeed who you say, I think she could have surfed to safety. But in that storm…I would say that's only a possibility. We will continue to scout the area and search for survivors."_

Steven thought he was going to be sick. Covering his mouth, he hunched over, tears breaking to the surface. His body shuddered as he struggled to hold back his crying.

_"_ _Currently, of the 25,000 people that were aboard the ship, we have documented 167 casualties, including the Captain, with a documented bullet to the head. All other voyages have been cancelled until the criminals responsible are apprehended, or until Rangers have dignified the water safe to cross. Noel Wilson will remain in search, not yet bringing the number to 168. This has been Natalie Burd, thank you for tuning in, and have a safe night."_

Professor Cosmo clicked the television remote, turning the screen black. Using his sleeve as a tissue, he wiped his face.

"Steven, my boy—'' he started.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR?!" Steven shouted, standing in the center of the room, tears streaming down his face. "We need to start a search party!" he looked at Professor Cosmo. "Contact my father, right away! I want the best rangers on the case to look for her!"

"Right away, Mr. Stone!" Cosmo scurried away.

"I will not rest until we find her, do you all understand!?" Steven wiped his face aggressively. "Until we find Noel, we need to remain hopeful! If anyone can get in contact with anybody else who can help, please let me know!" he paced back and forth, his face turning paler than his hair.

Residents dialed numbers on their Navs.

"Noel isn't dead…she isn't dead!" he kicked a trash can. "Why didn't she listen to me?!" he slammed the wall with his fists. "Why didn't she let me take her?!" he hit the wall again. "Why did she have to be so stubborn?!" he cried into the wall, eventually sinking to his knees.

The residents looked lost, seeing their Champion look so defeated like this. Sturth stood and walked over to his crying friend, helping him to his feet.

"Steven…my boy…you need to have hope, do you understand? What's happening now…Noel can handle it. As they say…like father, like daughter." Sturth walked him to a couch. "Cosmo and your father will handle things. For now, you need to relax. Do not let this effect your position. You're our champion, and for good reason. Do not give up on your friend."

Steven nodded. "You're right." he wiped his face. "I just wish to see her emerge from this…I want to see her come home to us… I wish things won't end 'like father like daughter'."


	3. To Drown and To Soar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this far! I'm enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would be, and I ended up making this chapter a little longer. I think. Time just kinda twists together when you write for five hours a night. Anyway, YES, I am using the reboot versions of the teams, and I incorporated someone nice in this chapter, I hope you like her.

"Swampert, level 78…" there was a beep. "Swellow, level 75…" another beep. "Ludicolo, level 75…" another beep. "Glalie, level 82…" another beep. "Salamence, level 77…" another beep. "And a Metagross, level 80." one final beep.

"How are the vitals?" a woman asked.

"Fine. She just needs to get some food in her." a person responded.

Noel, slightly awake to hear all of this, rolled onto her side and squeezed her eyes shut before opening them. She didn't find what she saw very inviting. There were dozens of people dressed in blue, white, and black all around her, just looking at her or somewhere else in the room. She sat up slowly, as if she were in front of wild animals. A woman with long black hair, blue streaks bedazzling the blackness, turned toward her.

"I see you're finally awake." the woman smirked.

"Oh my Arceus, am I being kidnapped?" Noel swallowed.

"Are you a kid?"

"No."

"Then you're just bein' napped."

"Lovely." Noel kept her eyes on all of the people around her. "And uh…where exactly am I?"

"None of your business." the woman responded, hands on her hips.

"Got it, right, none of my business." she laughed nervously. "And who are you?"

"The name's Shelly, nice to meet you." she stuck her hand out.

Noel shook her hand. "I'm Noel."

"Now then, Noel, it appears you have some information for us regarding that explosion you were in. A very important shipment we needed delivered was on that boat, and as you can tell, it exploded. I heard that you blurted the phrase 'are you with those people who blew up the ship', or something like that."

Something sparked in Noel's memory. "Aqua…"

"What?" Shelly asked, almost angrily.

"The people in red said 'Aqua won't be getting their shipment'." she mimicked crudely. "You must be who they were talking about."

Scowling, Shelly pulled on Noel's upper arm and yanked her out of the bed, dragging her along and out of the room. A Mightyena followed at their heels, growling and biting at Noel. Two of the dressed people followed behind them as well. With every step, Noel became more and more afraid, but she just needed to keep her calm. They exited the infirmary they were currently in, and out into a large main room. The walls were all black, and green tiles were placed throughout the floor.

"Are those…warp tiles?" she asked, interest gleaming in her eyes.

"Yes, they are." Shelly snapped.

Gulping, she didn't ask any more questions. They passed several rooms filled with scientists, also with more of those people dressed in blue. Shelly was dressed in blue herself, but it seemed more like a wetsuit that was like a crop top, with separate pants to match. An ongoing trend everywhere in this building seemed to be the white insignia on the walls and outfits of the people around them. After walking down a long black hallway, there was a set of three warp tiles waiting for them. They seemed to be aiming for one on the right.

"Just hang tight, girlie. I don't know if you've been on one of these before, but here comes a ride." Shelly warned, looking down at her from her additional two inches of height.

They stepped on the warp tile, a sensation going through Noel's body that she had never felt before. Her eyes were flooded with bright green numbers and letters, and though the warp only lasted for a few seconds, it seemed to last for a few minutes. Suddenly, they were in a large blue room with a white floor, a bed with three pillows on it, a large table in front of a television, and a poster of a Sharpedo. For such a big room, there wasn't much to it. However, what caught her attention wasn't the apparel in the room; it was the large, muscular man with dark skin and beautiful black facial hair in a blue wetsuit. Noel's heart jumped. Especially when the other thing that caught her attention was the golden anchor chain around his neck with a shimmering keystone fitted in the middle.

"Shelly." he greeted. "What brings you here?"

"This is the woman we found washed up on island 17A. She knows about what happened to our shipment." Shelly explained.

Noel's palms began to sweat. Who was this man and why did she need to explain herself to him? She heard the Mightyena and their owners step through the warp panel, ready to defend the exit like body guards. Her stomach was flipping and flopping, not knowing how to react in this situation.

"Would you like to tell us what happened on board?" Shelly demanded, pulling her arm.

"Well, I, um—"

"Spit it out, girlie."

"I saw people dressed in red and black, carrying bombs. They mentioned something about 'Aqua not getting their shipment'. They were horrible people, blowing up the ship and endangering so many lives." she evaded eye contact with the man.

"Anything else?" he asked her. "How did you meet these people?"

"I was just going on vacation and the storm started." she explained nervously.

"You just happened to meet them on the ship?"

"I needed to tell the Captain to stop the boat and call for rangers. There was obviously something happening and I took it upon myself to try and fix the problem."

"That takes guts, scamp." he smirked. "Hey, uh, by chance, was there a guy named Maxie on board?"

"Yes. Before the incident, he was very nice to me. He talked to me all the way to the docks. He promised me a battle in the end, but I didn't realize he'd do all of THIS."

"I think they're in cahoots, Archie." Shelly straightened up. "Her Pokémon are too powerful for the average trainer."

"Oh really." Archie walked over to Noel and bent over so their faces were on an equal plane, locking eye contact with her immediately.

_Oh my Arceus. Sweet mother fuck. Sweet Rawst syrup and flapjack fuckers._

She dug her foot into the ground, grinding and grinding it to prevent the blood from rushing to her face. A Mightyena growled at her, forcing her to stop. He squinted, seeming to stare right through her irises, right through her dilated pupils, and straight into her soul. No longer focusing on her blushing problem, she took notice to the sapphire color in his eyes.

"She isn't a killer." he straightened up. "She would never blow up a ship with that many people." he crossed his arms and backed up. "There's no way they'd be in cahoots."

Noel let out a long sigh of relief. He wasn't going to threaten her or make her talk anymore.

"But I should tell you…" she looked at his feet, avoiding his eyes. "Maxie shot and killed the Captain."

Terror filled his voice. "What?"

"When I entered the Captain's helm, he had already been dead. Maxie holstered the gun in front of me; he even admitted it to me."

"No way… Maxie outright  _murdered_  the guy…?" Archie seemed to be filled with disbelief.

"I'm sorry. If I had gotten there sooner—''

"You would have been killed too." he cut her off. "Don't apologize. I'm just shocked to hear he killed someone. With a gun no less." he nodded his head. "Don't feel obligated to have to take the blame. It wasn't your fault."

"Okay…" she gulped. "Well, I answered your questions and I told my story. Can I leave now? Can I go home?"

"No." Shelly answered.

Panic filled her voice. "What? But why?!"

"You know too much. You'll talk, tell stories. You've seen our base. Archie, tell her, would ya?"

"Listen scamp." he started. "Who you encountered was Team Magma, a group dead set on expanding the land mass. I have a feeling that Maxie didn't kill you for a reason. You said he holstered his gun when he saw you?" Archie asked.

"Y-yea… He holstered it…"

"Shelly, let me see the Pokémon she has." he stuck his hand out.

She let Noel's arm go and took out a scanner, handing it to Archie.

"No way." he smiled. "A Swampert? Aw man, I like you, scamp. YOOOO, A SHINY METAGROSS. DUDE."

"Archie. Your…professionalism?" Shelly looked up at him.

"You need to stay with us." he looked up from the scanner.

"What…?" she went pale.

"You could be of great use to us. You could join us and help us topple Maxie's goal." Archie explained.

"Girlie, we saved your life out there on that island. A few more hours and hunger would have gripped you hard. Persim berries don't last forever, you know. You're indebted to us." Shelly crossed her arms.

Noel looked down at her sweaty hands and clenched them into fists. These people rescued her from being stranded when she had nothing to do about it. Even bigger, she felt that she didn't have a choice in the matter. On the other hand, she knew that Steven must have heard about the explosion by now, and Mossdeep must have been worried sick. The looming factor was that these people were an organization. With goons, with bosses. She couldn't fight her way out of a place like this. With a heavy heart, she looked back up at Archie.

"Where do I sign up?"

Archie smiled devilishly. "Good choice."

His smile caught her off guard. Was he faking to be so nice just to get her to agree to join? Whatever the truth was, she had just sold her soul to a man with a wetsuit. Realizing that brought her to a feeling of defeat.

"Welcome to Team Aqua." Archie slapped her on the back, surprising her once again. "What's your name, scamp?

"I…uh…Noel." she answered.

"Awesome. Shelly, get her to the Grunts' rooms and get 'er an Aqua outfit." he cracked his knuckles and walked away from them.

"Yes sir, Archie." Shelly saluted, and then turned around. "Let's go, girlie."

Grunts allowing them to pass, they once again stepped onto the warp panel, Noel once again having to experience the green coding. The process was a lot faster this time, stepping out in what seemed to be a split second. Shelly took her to a room filled with bunk beds. It looked military style.

"Oh my Arceus…" Noel remarked aloud.

A grunt walked up behind her, Shelly being the speaker.

"Here's your uniform." folded clothing was shoved into Noel's hands. "Wear it with pride. And also," her backpack was next, along with six Pokeballs placed on top. "Your Pokémon. We healed them and fed them for you. Be ready for anything, whether it be a mission or just an announcement."

"Thank you, Shelly." Noel smiled at her Pokeballs.

"Yup. If you have any questions on how the place is run at all, feel free to flag me down if you see me, or you can just talk to the other grunts." Shelly explained, gesturing to the other grunts around her. "In fact…" Shelly pointed one out in particular. "Krys! Could you come here for a second!"

A familiar female grunt jogged over, making eye contact with her. "Oh, well look who it is."

"Krys, I want you to teach Noel the ropes."

"Come again? She's joining us?"

"Yes. Now if you need me, I'm looking for Matt. He's probably working out somewhere…" Shelly left the room on that note.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude or anything, it's just you were a confused wonk on that beach, I thought you were done." the girl laughed.

Noel blinked. "I'm sorry…were you the girl who found me?"

"Yepper, pepper." she placed her hands on her hips. "The one and only."

Noel looked down at the clothes in her hands.

"Come on, you're bunking above me." Krys guided her down the row of beds. "You're probably wondering why we even have a spare bunk for ya."

"Kind of, yes." Noel followed.

"A grunt got done did switched over to the landlubbers—he quit."

"Oh. Is that possible?"

"Not for you, no."

"Lovely."

"Go on, get changed." Krys told her when they reached the bunk.

"In front of people?!" Noel looked around the room.

Krys rolled her eyes. "You can hide behind me."

Krys put her arms out to the sides like a barrier, looking around for any peeping toms. Very quickly, Noel stripped her shirt and put on the newly acquired one. When she tried pulling it down to her shorts, she realized that the shirt was a crop top, not a full shirt. Holding the new shorts in front of her, they were ripped at the thigh and somewhat raggedy looking, like something a pirate might wear. Donning those, all that was left was the shoes and legging-type things. The leggings matched the shirt, light blue and white stripes. The shoes were a bit clunky; black with a blue dot in the center of the foot's top. There were black gloves as well, and Noel was hesitant to put them on. She let out a sigh, putting them on anyway. Finally, there was a black bandana with that white symbol on it. Noel combed her fingers through her hair, cringing at the fact it was haggard and sea-salt infested.

_I talked to Archie like that? Oh Arceus, how embarrassing…_

Looking at the clothes she had just removed, they were torn, singed, and moist. Her orange Pokémon League t-shirt was burnt on the back, singing present all over. There were also holes throughout the front, along with significant tearing in her jean shorts. She then looked down; she had been barefoot all this time.

Krys whistled, Noel's head snapping around. "Wowie, look at ya. Like part of the family already. But hey, you gotta put the bandana on."

Pulling her backpack open, with what was left or not burnt of it, she found a hair-tie, tying her hair up so she could fit the bandana on.

"Stunning, if I do say so myself." Krys took Noel's stuff and tossed it onto the top bunk. "Welcome home."

Her heart sank.  _Home…_

"Do you need a bra or anything? If you were on that cruise, you probably lost all of yer clothes. Like, I can tell you have one  _now,_ but you never know. In fact, we might be the same size." Krys slid a knap-sack out from under her bunk. "Same goes for underwear. I collect from Lopunny Secret, there's stuff I don't even like anymore."

Noel blinked, surprised. "Why are you being so nice to me? Before, all of you were dead set on calling me a cahooter with the explosion."

"Well, Archie must have said you were innocent. So if he says you're a good kid, you're a good kid." Krys smiled.

"R-really?" Noel was overcome with emotion. "I'm just a stranger you literally just recruited, and you're sharing your bras and underwear with me? You let me in like nothing happened?"

"We're all Aqua." Krys smiled up at her. "No matter who you are, what you're like, or what you say, you're one of us now. We take care of our own." she stood up with some folded underwear and two bras. "You just missed laundry day, so make this last, hey?"

"Laundry day? I feel like I'm back in college…"

"We eat in the mess hall at like six-ish. Archie always raises a hunk of meat and goes "WATER ROCKS!" as our toast." she said, her knap-sack away. "Speaking of, you must be staaaaarving. Let's go."

Noel tossed her newly acquired undergarments on top of her bunk, chasing after Krys as she boldly walked off without her. On their way out, Krys made them stop.

"Hold on, my bandana's pulling me."

She whipped her bandana off, releasing a flow of hair that reached to her dorsal, dark chestnut in color. When she tied it back up, she gave Noel a look.

"I wish I could compliment your hair, but…" she cringed. "When you shower later, that'll be solved. Let's eat!"

"What time is it, anyway?" Noel asked, walking with Krys.

"Noon-thirty." Krys looked at a nonexistent watch.

"And what day is it?"

"Sunday, darlin'." Krys held a door open for her, walking in once Noel had gone through.

"Sunday?!" Noel exclaimed. "I left Mossdeep on Friday…oh gosh, they must be so worried…" she whispered under her breath.

Krys was standing at a large assortment of vending machines. "What was that?"

"Nothing…"

A loud THUNK could be heard from one of the machines, an excited Krys squealing and taking out two packages of cookies shaped like Torchic. Soon after, two more clunks were heard, two lemonades being extracted from that machine.

"I couldn't decide between lemonade and water, so I just got two lemonades. It works." she handed Noel a package of cookies and a drink. "Your first Aqua meal, on the house." her emerald eyes glinted in success. "There's vanilla cream in the cookies, and sometimes if you get a special wrapper, Archie gives you a Kyogre bubble blower."

"You're kidding?" Noel opened her cookies.

"Does this look like the face of making jokes? It's legit, JJ has like, three." Krys opened her lemonade.

After some exchanged laughter, the two girls sat on the floor, backs against the wall. They compared the looks of their cookies, some being without beaks while some were without tails, and one of Noel's had no cream at all, just cookie. Grunts passed by, greeting them as they went. Noel felt welcomed and humbled at the same time. Though there was an anchor in her heart, that anchor making her want to go home, there was also warmth being born inside of her.

"So…if Team Magma's goal is to increase the landmass…what's Aqua's goal?" Noel asked.

"To increase the amount of water in the world." Krys took a sip of her drink.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's true. Archie believes the amount of illegal fishing and capturing is decreasing the water Pokémon population."

"He doesn't intend to drown us, does he?" she joked.

"Oh Arceus, no. He knows what he's doing, so I don't question it." she gulped some more lemonade. "I suggest you do the same."

"Suggestion heard." she crumbled her wrapper. "As a marine scientist, I think I know where he's coming from. There's so many factors affecting the health of the water and of the Pokémon nowadays. But increasing the water bodies sounds like one hefty goal."

"Scientist?"

"Yea…"

"We need more 'a those. You should talk to Shelly about that."

"Oh? Okay, I'll think about it."

Both of them finished with their snacks, Krys went around the base and showed Noel where everything was. There were warp panels everywhere for successful navigation of the base, and there were plenty of grunts that knew the way to go. Believe it or not, there was a work schedule posted in the largest room of the base, closest to the entrance. There were scouting jobs, lookout jobs, research jobs, science labs, and Pokémon breeders.

"This looks pretty organized. Does Archie usually announce plans and stuff?" Noel assumed.

"He'll come on the television screens placed around the base to let everyone know what's happening." Krys explained. "I heard around the grapevine that we'll be stormin' Meteor Falls soon. But don't tell nobody, it's supposed to stay on the hush hush."

"Meteor falls? 'Storming'?"

"Hey now, don't give me that look. We aren't criminals, and we aren't going to hurt anybody. We just wanna—" a grunt passed by, so she lowered her voice. "We just wanna get a meteorite apparently. If you were in the science department, you'd get to know why and what for."

"If you say we won't hurt anyone, I'll believe you. I don't want to hurt people, I'm not a criminal."

"Neither am I, but I'll stand by Archie with everything I got. Even if it kills me."

"If you say so, Krys."

Dinner was interesting, to say the least. The mess hall was filled with tables and plates of buffet style food. Nobody ever asked where the food came from or how they get it, according to Krys, so Noel just went along with it. In the front of the mess hall, there were three podiums with their own tables. Shelly sat in the left one, Archie sat in the middle one, and an incredibly RIPPED man sat in the right one.

"That's Matt." Krys had told her. "He's one of the Aqua Admins, along with Shelly. He may look like a rough and tough Ursaring, but he's a Teddiursa at heart."

Despite how hungry Noel was, she felt incredibly awkward being around these new people, dining with them. She knew no one except for Krys and Shelly, so she felt like she was back in school all over again. Krys ate leg after leg of meat, suggesting Noel to do the same, but she just couldn't. She ate bits of vegetables and berries and drank plenty of Moo-Moo milk, but she was uncomfortable. The discomfort was spoiling her appetite, and even worse, her social charisma. Like Krys had said, Archie rose at the beginning to toast that 'water rocks'. When Noel wasn't eating, she took glances at her new leader. He looked to be quite the confident man, and definitely quite the appealing man. He and Matt were always punching each other's shoulders, Arceus knows why, but it must be a friendship type of thing. Shelly, though angry and intimidating before, looked softer and nicer. It must have been the job of an admin to act tough in front of those they guided. Falling into day-dreamers' paradise, she didn't notice Krys holding a potato on her butter knife.

"Eaaaarrrth to Noeeelll… I am the potato of reckoning…I foresee a lady boner on the horizonnnn…"

Noel gasped loudly and covered her face. "KRYS."

Krys laughed out loud obnoxiously. "GOTCHA."

A few other grunts sitting at the table weren't in on the joke, but they laughed about the potato on the knife. Krys was wiping the tears from her eyes due to the look on her friend's face.

"Come on, you know he can't hear me or you down here. Besides, I was joking." she bit into the whole potato, leaving a huge bite mark.

_She's right._ Noel thought.  _He can't hear me from all the way over there._

She looked back over Archie's direction where she found he was staring right back at her.

_Fuck._

She tried playing it off like a wave not meant for her to receive. Maybe he wasn't looking at her directly, maybe it was someone else. After a few seconds, she looked over again. He was  _smiling_.

_Oh for fuck's sake._

She turned a complete 180 degrees and hyper focused on the potato Krys still held on the knife. Krys obviously noticed, because she offered her a bite. In an attempt to relieve her embarrassment, she took a whopper of a bite into that potato, the starch filling her whole mouth with warm and buttery vegetable. She felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to turn around. It was another grunt making her acquaintance, which was embarrassing once again, her having a potato in her mouth and all. Taking a quick glance to the podiums, Archie was gone.

"Noel, what kind of Pokémon do you have?" Krys asked as they were preparing for bed.

"Uh, well…" Noel began brushing her teeth. "Schwamprt, Lrdicolr, Schralmanch, Metrgrss, Swellr, and Grarie."

"I jst hv a Mghtyna and a crvhner" she spit her toothpaste out. "A Mightyena and a Carvanha."

"That's pretty cool. I've seen a lot of Mightyena lately…" Noel wiped her mouth, teeth now shiny and clean.

"Can I see your Swampert?" Krys' eyes sparkled.

"Yea, sure." they left the restroom and returned to their bunks, most grunts reading or playing cards, some even playing Gameboys.

Grabbing Swampert's Pokeball, she let him out. Swampert blinked, looked around, and "GRUH"ed at Krys.

"Whoa…" Krys smiled wide.

Swampert grabbing attention, other grunts looked up from their activities and instantly caught interest. Men and women alike rushed over to pet Swampert, talk to it, and look at it. Swampert was flustered, but it enjoyed the attention. Krys pet one of Swampert's cheeks, which were, according to her, 'sleek and slimy'.

"We don't see any Swampert around here." a male grunt said. "We just have a lot of other water Pokémon. Swampert are rare sights for us."

"Well, Swampert is happy to see you all too. Right, buddy?" she pat his head.

"GRUH!" Swampert seemed to be smiling.

Shelly's voice rang over a loud speaker. "All right, Grunts! Lights out!"

Like on cue, the overhead lights went out, sending all other grunts to their bunks. They went back with smiles on their faces, giving Noel one of her own. Climbing up to her bunk with the attached ladder, Swampert followed clumsily. Krys was poking her head over her side to look up.

"Goodnight, Noel. See ya tomorrow."

Noel curled up in her blankets, the first night in her new home.

 

As days progressed, Noel became more accustomed to Aqua lifestyle. She started making friends, meeting new people, and learning the rules of missions and likewise. She was assigned to Squad 5, one of the teams that accompany Archie and the admins on missions. Noel even inquired with Shelly about becoming a scientist when there weren't major missions happening, which Shelly approved to bring to Archie without hesitation. The horrible memories of that fiery ship were beginning to ebb away, being replaced with the friendliness she had experienced here. She ate more, talked more, and experienced more with her bunkmates, getting in on games of cards, and even introducing her Pokémon to theirs. The Mightyena seemed afraid of Glalie sometimes, probably because of its intimidating expression, but deep down, Glalie wanted to be involved. It was fun. There were no true schedules, despite there was the occasional one posted for guard duties, among others. But they could do almost whatever they wanted unless Shelly or Matt decided to intervene. Noel, to her dissatisfaction, didn't see much of Archie, except for the instances at dinner where she snagged a look at him now and again. Krys said that he was planning their next mission, and it was probably going to be Meteor Falls. However, there was this itching feeling that kept Noel up at night. She knew Steven and the others must have been worried sick, because surely the news had announced the wreckage of the ship, and eventually her 'disappearance'. Sometimes, she believed that it would be better to return to Mossdeep, to sneak out somehow, but she realized there's no way she could get away with it. Especially with Matt walking around like a juggernaut. Eight days after her arrival to Team Aqua, Archie's bearded face appeared on the television. It was time, the mission to Meteor Falls.

_"_ _We're gonna storm Meteor Falls from the Fallarbor entrance. Shelly and Squad 7 are going to distract the Professor and bring him, with his precious meteorite, to the falls so we can hopefully succeed in securing it. I would like Squad 5 to guard the exit of the falls, the Rustboro side, and if a battle were to arise, I'd like you to take care of intruders at any means necessary. I will head for Mt. Chimney when I get the word that we have secured the Meteorite. Shelly, you're in charge, and if you need backup, Matt will remain on call."_ he spoke very seriously, not breaking his stern expression until the very end, where he smiled confidently.  _"ALL RIGHT, LET'S ROLL OUT!"_

Suddenly, like a monsoon, the grunts separated and got to their positions in a slurry of blue and white, many colliding with one another. Noel reported to her Squad, who were still waiting on Krys and two others. The Squad Head held onto a series of maps and only began his speech when all were present.

"All right, Squad! I need you to team up in groups of two and find means of getting to Fallarbor safe and sound! Shelly will not approach the Professor until all are in position! Is everybody clear on that?!" he instructed loudly.

Krys and Noel teamed up once his speech was over. Heading out to the main room as a group, the Squad Head gave his signal to leave, whoever was watching being warned they were leaving. This was Noel's first time leaving the base, so she was very excited. They walked out the main entrance, which had no means of being sealed. They were met with a large cavern filled with water. Looking up and above the door, Noel could see nets and the Insignia of her Team all over the place. It looked like a tattered pirate ship. A light opening was at the end of the cavern tunnel; they needed to surf across. Swampert was able to carry half of the Squad of eight to the exit, being met with bright sunshine and heat. Blinded, Noel could hardly see the environment she was in. When eyesight returned to her, she expected somewhere she had never been before, but she was proven very wrong. Once parking at the beach surrounded by ocean, she realized she had seen this place before. Lilycove.

"All right, Squad! Let's move!" the Squad Head let out his Swellow, boarding it and preparing to fly off.

Some grunts were planning on riding their Golbats or their Mightyena, but Krys had no means of travel. Luckily, Noel did. Returning Swampert to its ball, she greeted another one of her friends.

"Salamence!" she tossed the ball into the air.

"I am NOT riding a Salamence." Krys took a step back when it appeared.

"You're riding Salamence." she pulled her onto its back with her. "Hang on tight."

"Noel, I swear to Arceus, I'm gonna kick your ass…!"

"FLY!" Noel ordered.

With a roar, Salamence flapped its powerful wings and rose into the air. At a steady pace they rose and rose until they were at a fair altitude. Noel piloted her friend, handing the map off to Krys, who was too terrified to even open her eyes let alone hold a map.

"Krys, we won't let you fall! It's okay!"

"NOPENOPENOPENOPE."

Noel rolled her eyes. Salamence flew forward, over the landscape and hills, passing by a large mountain with fog sweeping around it. In the back of her mind, there was the thought that Mossdeep was right behind her. It tore at her.

"I didn't know our base was in Lilycove." Noel said, voice accustomed to air travel.

"YEA, WELL." Krys was shouting for no real reason other than fear. "YOU NEVER REALLY ASKED. SO I NEVER REALLY ANSWERED. WHY, IS THAT A PROBLEM?"

"No." she narrowed her eyes. "Not at all."

"YA KNOW, NOEL, HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET SO GOOD AT FLYING? YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE MUCH OF A FLYER."

"I don't really like being so high, but I trust my Pokémon. I only fly if absolutely necessary." Noel explained, surveying the landscape. "After all of this, I don't think I'll be doing much sailing either."

"I THINK WE JUST PASSED OVER FORTREE CITY. LOOK AT ALL THE TREEHOUSES!"

Noel looked down, gazing at the treehouses she has seen before. Those memories were from long ago, from her journey.

"I THINK I'M STARTING TO LIKE THIS!" Krys shouted, bandana whipping in the air.

"Alright, if you say so!" Noel smiled deviously. "Faster, Salamence!"

Roaring loudly, Salamence seemed to dive in order to gain speed. Krys, screaming at the top of her lungs, crushed the map in her grip as she held onto Noel's torso for dear life. Laughing almost sadistically, she gave the direction for Salamence to do a barrel roll.

"YOU WOULDN'T DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE-!"

Just as they caught up to the Squad Head, Salamence performed a barrel roll around his Swellow. The Squad Head looked at Noel and Krys, very surprised, as if he hadn't expected anybody to catch up with him. He gave the aerial signals to prepare to make a hard left as they neared the destination of Fallarbor. If Salamence went fast enough, they would reach the town in under fifteen minutes. Making their hard left, Noel looked down, searching for Shelly or Squad 7. She saw no one except for trainers looking up at the sky, beholding the grace that was her Salamence. She waved to them with a smile, commanding Salamence to continue forward. To their right, in the near distance, was the billowing smoke of Mt. Chimney. Archie said he would head there when he received word of the success. After ten minutes of Krys' shaking hands and threats, they could see the cave of Meteor Falls in the distance. The Squad Head flew forward at a jolt of speed, leaving Salamence and passengers left in the dust. She could see Fallarbor, so she began choosing a location along Route 114 for a safe landing. Ahead there was a rocky cliff that was nestled right near the entrance of the falls, and the Head seemed to be headed there as well. Following him, Salamence made a careful descent, careful not to attract the attention of those uninvolved. Once its feet were firmly on the ground, Krys catapulted herself off of Salamence's back, pale from the altitudinous experience.

"Good flying out there, man." Noel scratched under her dragon's chin. "Did you have fun?"

Salamence growled happily.

"Good! If we need you again, I'll let you out. For now, return,"

Salamence returned to its ball with a pleased expression. The Squad Head returned his Swellow and walked over.

"I always forget you have a Salamence." he scratched the back of his head. "Good job on getting here so quick. Let's get set up."

Obediently, the Head and two grunts shuffled inside the cave, unprepared for the brilliance that awaited them. Magnificent waterfalls cascaded down from rock formations and had an exquisite sparkle to them. They made their way across a footbridge and down some man-made stairs, greeting the grunts that came on foot or otherwise.

"Mightyena got all tuckered out." one of them said, "So I just took a long walk. Maybe I'm getting too heavy…"

After a quick exchange, the grunts got to their positions. Two grunts waited outside the rear entrance, Krys and Noel guarded the inside so none could leave, two were high up in the rocks, and two more were hidden amongst lower formations, concealed by the sound of a waterfall. The Head waited under the footbridge on a scrap of land, hidden by the wooden planks. He radioed Shelly to begin the mission. Adrenaline slowly began to pump through Noel's veins, her first mission riling her up. Krys looked at her eager expression with a smile.

"You look pretty pumped to snag a meteorite."

"It's my first contribution to the team. I'm a little revved up."

"Well, we just gotta keep watch for intruders and shoo 'em out. Look more intimidating." Krys formed an exaggerated frown.

Noel lost her smile and got serious, hands folding behind her back. Krys gave her a thumbs up.

"Who is this scientist, anyway?" Noel asked.

"Good question." Krys answered, scratching her face. "All I know is that his second home is in Fallarbor. Something about being a space guy."

_Funny._ Noel thought, a bead of sweat forming on her face.  _Professor Cosmo has a home in Fallarbor._  Her eyes widened.  _Oh my god. Am I about to rob Professor Cosmo?_ She looked around feverishly.  _No, no, no. Cosmo isn't dumb enough to be lured to a cave with one of his special meteorites._ She tried lightly laughing it off, but then she frowned, realizing.  _Oh my fucking shit, I'm about to rob my boss._

As she finished her panicked thought, she began to hear voices from the main entrance of the cave, one she recognized all too well as her former boss, Professor Cosmo.

_Shit! Cosmo can't see me here!_ Noel thought, which made her further wonder.  _Wait. I don't want my former employer to see me on Team Aqua? Won't he be relieved to see I'm safe?_

"Noel," Krys whispered. "Do you hear something? Outside?"

Listening closely, she could hear some kind of commotion. Not a crude commotion, but the sound of arguing.

"It must be some people trying to get in." Noel responded. "I wouldn't worry about it."

She could hear Shelly's voice from the footbridge. Even more, she could see Professor Cosmo on the bridge, holding tightly onto a meteorite. She could hear the conversation begin to unfold.

"Alright, doc. Playtime's over. I'm gonna need you to hand me that meteorite." Shelly demanded. "Or else you're gonna get pummeled."

"Dear Arceus! You mean…you had no intention of learning about…" the professor asked, appalled.

"No, you dummy! We need that meteorite, now hand it over!" Shelly stepped closer.

Suddenly, from outside her entrance, Noel could hear Pokémon cries. It sounded like a battle was underway. A pressure was building up inside her body that she hadn't felt in a while. When she was about to take a look, two unknown teenagers came bolting in; a boy and a girl.

"STOP! Leave the professor alone!" the boy shouted at Shelly.

"Hahn?" Shelly asked, turning around. "Who the hell are you?"

The boy turned. "May! Thank goodness you came too! Come on, we have to keep them from hurting the Professor!"

Shelly laughed, but then stepped forward. "Aha! It seems even I, Aqua Admin Shelly, have been made a fool." she scoffed. "…Fine! Brats who don't know how to keep their mouths shut must be punished!" her and the grunt beside her pulled out their Pokeballs. "I won't forgive you if you cower in fear, either!" her eyes widened with challenge and laughed.

"Holy shit, this is happening." Krys whispered.

From what they could see from below, Shelly brought out her Mightyena while the grunt brought out a Grimer. The two kids brought out a Wailmer and a Combusken. The girl that had been called May was directing the fire bird with confidence, the boy almost a clueless opposite. The battle started out strong for Shelly, but Combusken's Sky Uppercut wiped out her dog of darkness, forcing her to bring out her Carvanha. The grunt's only Grimer was wiped out quick, giving the teens the upper hand.

_"_ _Kzzzt…this is Aqua Grunt 4 to Noel and Krys, there's-! You bastard, leave Golbat alone! Shit! Girls, there's someone headed your way, it's—it's-!"_ the radio message cut out on the walkie.

Noel looked at Krys, who held a Pokeball in her hand, with a slight panic.

"We'll be ready. The others will help Shelly if they have to." she encouraged.

Noel nodded, listening for footsteps outside. She heard the scuffling of feet, there seemed to be two pairs of them. However, there was one more set that was walking slower, calmer. She hovered her hand over Swampert's Pokeball in readiness. When she heard the fainting Carvanha on the footbridge, she knew things were beginning to get busted. Two men in red and black clothing walked through the entranceway, the two girls jumping out to stop them immediately.

"Team Magma." Krys scowled. "Back off! This is our meteorite!"

One of the Magma grunts spit in her face, making her more on the offensive. Noel grinded her teeth while making direct eye contact with her grunt.

"Hey, sweetie pie." he snickered. "Glad to see you ain't burnt to a crisp after all."

"You were on the decks…" she muttered angrily.

"That's right, pumpkin. If I woulda known you were in Aqua, I woulda tossed you over the railing on the spot." he leaned in close, threateningly.

"Grunt, back off." a familiar voice commanded.

Noel's eyes widened. "No."

Maxie walked through the entranceway, the light from outside gleaming off of his glasses. He straightened them as he walked through, sternly making eye contact with his grunts. When he made eye contact with Noel, however, his creased mouth stretched into a devilish grin.

"Why, hello there, Noel." he cupped her chin with his right hand. "Pleasure to see you again."

Swatting his hand away, she jumped backward, Krys stepping back as well, also releasing her Mightyena.

"Calm down, dear." he folded his arms behind his back. "We've only come to negotiate…not quarrel."

"Bullshit." Noel protested.

Maxie's eyes widened. "Don't be rude. Remember what I can do?" he threatened.

Noel turned sick to her stomach.

"You're telling me you're that strong and you're still just a kid?!" she heard Shelly shout.

"Out of my way." Maxie shoved Noel to the side, causing her to fall to her stomach.

"AAH! Did I go too easy on you?!" Shelly shouted, anger fueling her. "No matter." she cracked her knuckles. "When we take that meteorite, Team Aqua's going to take a tremendous leap forward, and I refuse to let brats like you get in our way!"

Maxie pierced the conversation. "Hmph. Such children giving you a hard time. You're an admin of Team Aqua after all, this should be child's play."

Noel got up to run forward, but Krys held her back.

"Krys, let go!"

She shook her head.

Maxie made his way up the manmade stairs, his grunts following him. "Disgusting."

"Ugh. Even Team Magma's showing their faces, I see." Shelly narrowed her eyes.

The two teens were still on the footbridge, dead still.

"Well." Shelly looked Noel in the eyes from the bridge and winked, the same for the other group below. "I guess there isn't anything we can do." she widened her eyes and shouted, "SQUAD FIVE, GET THAT METEORITE!"

Like an alarm was tripped, the squad teams jumped from their positions. The above team landed on the magma grunts, the grunt with Shelly tackling Maxie, who was incredibly off guard. Noel sprinted forward, climbing the stairs three at a time, and giving the Squad Head a boost when he careened up the wall, pulling him up from his hand. Hiding her face, she body slammed Cosmo hard, allowing for the Head to grab the meteorite in Cosmo's weakened grip. With Krys behind her and Shelly in front, they bulldozed past the kids, leaving their confused, puny faces in the dust.

"RUN, RUN! LET'S GO, LET'S GO!" Shelly shouted at the grunts. "Get outta here, meet up at Mt. Chimney!"

When Noel had bulldozed past the girl named May, they had made a slight eye contact. The girl was silent, yet her eyes said so much. Keeping her mind on the task, Shelly ran at full speed while the Head secured the meteorite in his pouch. They released their winged rides and blasted off into the air, Noel commanding to make haste. Salamence zoomed forward, feeling the stress of its trainer. When they were away from Fallarbor, they relaxed. Krys touched her shoulder.

"Noel…" she had become atune to her volume mid-flight. "Why are you crying?"

Touching her cheeks, she realized they were moist. It was the fear resurfacing.

"It's because of Maxie, isn't it?" she asked, concern filling her windy voice.

"Never mind it." she wiped her face.

_I'm sorry, Professor. Please forgive me._

"Let's just get to Mt. Chimney."


	4. Hairline Fracture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna explain something quick about this chapter. We begin to see a little more about Noel as a person and her personal struggles. Her struggles play out how she evolves as part of the team, and I want to incorperate her struggles to the best of my ability. I hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you for reading.

Salamence continued onward at a steady pace. The panic from before had partially subsided; the only feeling remaining being the twinge of fear Noel felt when Maxie had reminded her of 'what he could do'. Krys had remained silent the whole ride, holding onto her friend's torso tightly, unsure of what to say. The air became ashy, making Noel cough and cover her eyes. They were nearing the volcano.

"Salamence, can you go lower?" Noel asked.

Nodding, it lowered their altitude in hopes of relieving the ash-inhalation. Ahead of them was the rocky inclination of Mt. Chimney, towering above the region with its threat of eruption and smoke billows. They could see the lines for the cable car, which didn't seem to be active at the moment. Looking down, she saw fellow grunts manning the entrance to the cable cars, standing firm.

"I think Archie needs us at the top." Krys said, eyes closed from all of the ash.

"Salamence, can you go up to the top? Are you okay?" Noel asked.

Salamence rose without a clear response, climbing and climbing in altitude until the smoke was almost too thick to continue. Finally, they saw a slew of blue and white.

"Alright, Salamence! Land!"

Slowly, Salamence placed its feet on firm ground, wind-tunneling the hair of the grunts around them as its wings flapped. Archie was there, smirking while holding his bandana to his head. All were nestled on top of the volcano, just around the basin of molten lava that brewed beneath them.

"Well there they are!" he laughed. "Shelly just radioed in; she's in the cable car right now with the others. Good job Squad 5 for securing the meteorite."

Salamence returned to its ball. Krys had wobbly legs from the air travel, but she high-fived some squad members as she approached them. Flapping wings could be heard, and when everyone turned, they saw the Squad Head and his Swellow flying in, saluting as his valiant bird landed. He grabbed the meteorite from his pouch.

"Here it is leader!" he greeted, handing the stone off to Archie. "Safe and sound, straight from the Professor himself!"

"Great. Thank you very much." he smiled a toothy grin while looking into the meteorite.

Over the crest of the hill, Shelly and other grunts appeared with a victorious look on their faces. Shelly was the only one with concern in her eyes.

"Archie, I need to have a word." Shelly said as she approached.

"Of course."

"Noel, Krys, you come here too." Shelly ordered.

Following Shelly and their leader to a separate spot away from the group, Shelly looked around, telling Archie what happened at Meteor Falls.

"A teenage girl you say? With a Combusken?" Archie crossed his arms.

"Yea, about yay big," she held her hand at her shoulder. "With brown hair with this weird pigtail stuff goin' on in the front. She had white shorts and a red shirt, similar to a wetsuit. She wiped us out."

"And you think she'll follow us here." he concluded.

"Precisely." Shelly nodded. "And another thing." Shelly glanced at Noel and Krys. "Maxie and his grunts showed up."

Archie glanced at them as well. "And?"

"They came through the Rustboro entrance." Krys answered. "And Maxie shoved right by Noel. He also threatened you…right?" Krys looked at her friend.

"He claimed he was there to negotiate, not to quarrel." Noel spoke, locking eyes with her leader. "I called him out on it, and therefore, he called me rude. He said 'remember what I can do' before shoving me onto the ground. I wanted to stop him by battling, but…he was already on his way up to Shelly and I didn't know if it would have been acceptable." she explained.

Archie scratched his hairy chin. "Given the circumstances, it's a good thing you didn't make a fuss out of it. But I reckon that Magma will be arriving as well." he turned to Shelly. "Tell the grunts to remain on the defensive. I don't want any of Magma interrupting my plans." he turned to the girls. "That goes for you as well. Hold them back."

"Aye aye." they both responded.

When they turned to leave, Archie grabbed Noel's arm. "Hold it, scamp."

Noel's heart jumped. "Archie?"

He waited until they were devoid of others' earshot. "I know you don't have the average Pokémon. So I need to let you know of something I have in mind."

"What is it?"

"I can feel it in my bones, that trainer's gonna show up. And if she gets past Shelly again, well, that means she'll be going through me as well." he explained, a smirk rising in his cheeks.

"Well, surely she can't defeat you…you're our leader!"

"Scamp, if she's as strong as you guys say, then I don't know. But I need to buy enough time to extract what I can from this meteorite." he gestured over to the middle of the basin, where a glass bridge extended out, a machine resting at the end. "I'll be all the way out there. You do your job, but I need you to remember one thing."

"Yes, what is it?" she nodded.

"You need to listen for my whistle, if I decide to." he put his fingers to his mouth to demonstrate. "When I do, you need to come get me. I'm sure you can figure out the rest. Got it?"

"Aye aye!" she nodded in confidence.

"Great." he smiled. "I'm countin' on you. Now go on, get to your post."

She jogged away, the initiative stuck in her brain like a pin-prick. She situated herself near the entrance to the basin path, where Archie needed to do his work. Krys joined her.

"Who are you gonna use, Noel? Ya know, when those creeps show up." Krys asked, looking at Mightyena's ball in her hand.

"Ludicolo." she answered simply. "Hydro Pump will hold them back enough, there's no way they're going to make it by us. Besides, Shelly's behind us to back us up."

Noel had a fire burning in her gut as she curled her hands into fists, ready to fight those cretins when they showed their ugly faces. Grunts near the stairs to the top of the volcano felt the same way, Mightyena already out and ready to go. Noel remembered the grip Archie had on her arm, rubbing it as if his hand was still there.

"Noel, I think they're coming." she prepared Mightyena's ball.

She was right. A hoard of grunts and Mightyena stormed the guarded entrance, Aqua grunts attempting to hold them back. Noel tossed Ludicolo's ball into the air, it appearing before her with a loud THUMP. It smiled at her before curling its own fists, turning in anticipation. A whole gang of them emerged, Magma's Pokémon barking and biting, battles underway between the two teams. If Maxie showed up, Noel would be ready this time. Three grunts had gotten past Aqua, racing toward Noel and Krys with staggering speed.

"LUDICOLO, HYDRO PUMP!" Noel shouted.

A heavy stream of water shot out of Ludicolo's mouth and swamped the grunts, pushing them and their Mightyena back. Krys had her hands full with other grunts trying to push past, making quick work of them with her own Pokémon. Wave after wave came, Ludicolo also planting a Leech Seed, tangling the grunts into the ground if they got too close.

"Don't let them push us back, keep pushing forward!" Noel shouted over to Krys, who gave her a thumbs-up.

Pushing forward, Ludicolo drowned Magma grunts in water, knocking them back into the fights of Mightyena. Krys punched a guy in the face, it was a fine contribution. A Mightyena was able to bite Ludicolo, but it grasped its head tightly and performed a Giga Drain, sucking all the energy out of that hound dog. When it fainted, its grunt picked it up and carried it to safety.

_There's so many!_ Noel thought, grinding her teeth.  _If Maxie sent this many grunts, it's only a matter of time before we're wiped out!_

In the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of bright red. Turning, she realized it was the trainer girl.

"Oh no you don't!" she shouted when she turned to give chase.

A Mightyena tumbled past her. She realized it was Krys', so she immediately bent down to tend to it. Mightyena growled and stood, running right back into battle. However, Noel couldn't pinpoint where Krys had gone to.

"Ludicolo, wipe them out!" she commanded.

Another powerful stream of water shot from Ludicolo's mouth, creating a slick and slippery slope for the remaining Magma grunts to climb up. Several tried, using their Numel's Lava Plume to harden the liquid, but if Ludicolo kept spraying, they weren't going very far. A grunt punched her in the face, which she returned with an elbow to the chest, pushing him back down the slope. Overall, it had quickly escalated into a brawl, punches being thrown on all ends. By the entrance, a Mightyena had pinned down a Magma grunt, whom of which showed significant bite marks. A large group of Aqua was fighting with a similarly large group of Magma members and their Pokémon. From behind her, Noel could hear familiar cries. She turned her head, watching Shelly's Carvanha go down.

"Shit!" she hissed under her breath.

Ludicolo backed up, satisfied with the job it had done. For now, Magma grunts seemed to be more occupied with needless brawls than reaching Archie. Looking all over, she searched desperately for her friend. She called out her name, the heat from the basin below beginning to get to her. Finally, her friend's head poked out of a group of Aqua Members defending the entrance. Noel let out a sigh of relief, watching as Magma had begun giving up in their assault of the mountain. The relief lasted until she heard the cries of a Crobat. Turning, her eyes widened at the sight she began to behold. Archie was struggling against this teenager, a teenager that had come from out of the blue to thwart their plans. Archie brought out a Sharpedo, one of which looked frighteningly intimidating. The teen switched out her Combusken for a Vigoroth, its arms flailing in anticipation of battle. Noel could only watch as Sharpedo was being pushed around, but when she caught the glimmer in Archie's eyes, she saw that he seemed to be having great fun. His smile was twisted like his Sharpedo's, teeth showing as if he was baring his fangs. Checking on the progress of Team Magma, she was glad to see the team in red depleting in numbers and confidence. Behind her, once again, she heard the fainting cry of a Sharpedo. She could hear her leader's powerful laughter penetrate the heat of the mountain, as well as the heat of the battles going on. Magma and Aqua grunts alike looked up, seeming to be fueled, as battles continued to rage and blood began to spill. That's when another sound penetrated the ashen air. The whistle. Noel turned her head, seeing her leader's cocky grin on his face looking right back at her.

_He needs to get out of there._ She thought.  _And there's only one way to do that!_

In one fell swoop, she returned her Ludicolo and brought out her Salamence, chucking its ball into the air. When it appeared, it was air born, allowing Noel to leap onto its back and mush it forward. They zoomed over the basin, locking in on Archie.

"Gotta go, kid." Archie snickered as he raised his arm into the air.

Leaning over, Noel extended her own hands out, reaching out to him, gripping his hand tightly as they flew over his head. With full force, she screamed, pulling her leader up and onto her Pokémon's back. He was incredibly heavy, she was terrified of him slipping out of her grip. When he was on board, he let out a laugh of victory, his plan working out the way he wanted it to.

"Step on it, scamp!" Archie shouted.

"Let's go, Salamence!" Noel urged her dragon, who sped forward like a bullet.

They sped through the pillar of smoke, driving through it as if it were cardboard. When they emerged on the other side of the smoke, into the realm of clean air, Salamence let out a roar. Archie giving her the okay to slow down, Salamence slowed its speed to one of a casual flight. Noel was breathing hard, the adrenaline leaving her system, leaving behind a puddle of exhaustion. Her arms were nearly noodles from lifting her superior onto Salamence's back.

"Let's get back to the base, alright?" she directed her friend, who nodded.

As she slowed her breathing and released tension in her body, she was startled by Archie's voice.

"Thank you for the wicked awesome getaway back there." Archie laughed. "That was so epic."

"I put two and two together when you mentioned I had different Pokémon." she smiled, him unable to see it. "But sir, what happened to the meteorite?"

"I'm done with it." he answered. "I sent all the information back to Matt at the base. The meteorite's use is done, so if that kid wants it, she can have it."

"If I'm not rude for asking, what did you need from the meteorite?"

"It had mineral data, sequence data from another gem I'm trying to find, and literally, it's a really big gem. If the scientists work everything out, I'll have what I need."

"I'd say this was a success, leader." Noel nodded, patting her Salamence's neck.

"Quit it with the 'leader' and 'sir' stuff. When we're alone, you can just call me Archie." he stretched.

Her face felt hot.  _When we're alone? WHAT?_

Salamence's wings flapped in intervals, keeping their straight path back to Lilycove.

"Hey, Noel."

She turned her head. "What is it?"

"Are you alright?" he asked sincerely.

"What do you mean? I'm fine. Just some rumble and tumble with team what's-it-nuts. Nothing I can't handle." she flexed her bicep.

"No, I mean back at Meteor Falls." he put her arm down. "Maxie scared you, didn't he?"

A lump formed in her throat. "I…"

"Even worse, he laid his hands on you this time. I don't want anybody on this team to die, you understand, right?"

"Of course I do!" she whipped her head around. "I'm with this team, and a little bit of 'Red Head Tumble Time' won't break the resolve I have with you all!"

Archie closed his eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink. He smiled cockily again.

"Sorry, Noel. Didn't mean to get all sappy on ya." he slapped her back. "You're Aqua now, so I can't help but be concerned."

She smiled. "I appreciate the concern." she turned back around.

Archie was silent for the majority of the flight back home. Occasionally he pointed out how small the people looked from their altitude, and other times he made faces at the Wingull that they passed through the air. It seemed fitting for him. As they neared Lilycove, Salamence dove to gain some speed for a clear landing. Noel was fine until she felt Archie's hands grip her shoulders.

"I thought this was a Pokémon, not a rollercoaster!" Archie laughed out loud, a huge smile across his face.

She didn't turn to look at him due to the sheer fact that her face was redder than a Corphish.

"Ya know, you should be the one doing this. I'm the manly man, you should be holding onto ME for dear life." he snickered.

Her eyebrow twitched. "Salamence." she closed her eyes and spoke calmly, but then opened them and shouted. "LOOPTY LOOP!"

Salamence seemed to make a beastly laugh as it rocketed up into the air and gained great height, causing Archie to increase the strength he had on her shoulders, her herself hanging on tight to Salamence's body. As they flew upside down for a mere five seconds, Archie wrapped his arms around her and hung on, almost squeezing the breath out of her, as well as using his legs to grip Salamence. Though his body shouted he was tense and afraid, he was laughing at the top of his lungs in excitement.

"YEEEEAAAAAA! THIS IS AWESOME!"

Salamence was right side up again, continuing its path on an even plane. Noel turned back and smiled sadistically.

"Okay, I deserved that." Archie let go.

When they finally reached Lilycove, Salamence landed on the warm sand. The sun was beginning to set; it had been quite the long day. They both hopped off of its back after a kind thanking, and Noel returned her friend to its ball for a nice rest. Archie sighed and crossed his arms, staring out into the ocean.

"Look at that." he smiled. "The colors on the water. It's so pink, so orange. I want the whole world to look like that, I want to give the whole world the feeling I get when I see that water."

Noel walked up next to him and gazed at what he meant. To her, it was just water, but to her leader, it was so much more than that. She took her bandana off and held it tightly, looking at the ripples and waves, the waves of pink and orange radiating off of the water's surface. They could hear oceanic Pokémon play in the waves, the dunes quiet with the vacationers gone to their homes. The water seemed to reach out to her feet, enveloping them in a moistness that was more inviting than dangerous. She thought of Mossdeep, but most of all, she thought of Swampert.

"I feel like you'd get where I'm coming from, you having a water type and all." he continued. "Like, you chose water. You must feel the feels I feel."

"I'm beginning to recognize the feeling I have for water. Perhaps if I wouldn't have nearly died in it, I would be happier." she pointed out, splashing with her foot.

"I get it." he let out a big exhale. "Well, scamp, I'm headed back." he slapped her back again. "Good job."

After the slap, which she was growing quite accustomed to, she turned around and watched her leader enter the waves, swimming on his own, back through the cave. It seemed he wanted to embrace the water after the day they all had. In her hands was her bandana, soot covered and dirtied from the day's missions. To be honest, she thought she had done a good job. Looking again, back at the cave entrance, she saw the ripples of Archie's path die away, leaving the water calm and silent.

 

The next morning, Noel woke up later than usual, body tired from the mission. Her hair was clean and wavy, smelling like berries and radiating a healthy shine compared to the day before. Upon waking, she felt an arm around her. It was Swampert, wanting to have a comfortable slumber with its trainer.

"I swear to Arceus, you're a mattress hog…" she muttered when she sat up.

"GRUH." Swampert objected.

"You better now?" she smiled, climbing down her ladder.

Instead of taking the ladder, Swampert jumped from the top bunk and SLAMMED onto the floor, making the bunk beds rattle. Thankfully, the two of them were practically alone, so no other grunts had to tolerate the nonsense that was Swampert.

"Are you gonna follow me to the bathroom, too?" she joked.

Swampert nodded, wagging its back fin.

Noel rolled her eyes. "Alright."

Entering the bathroom, she was met with Krys, who also must have just woken up, chestnut hair ruffled and lightly freckled face still rosy from the warmth of slumber. Her Chinchou pajamas were buttoned wrong, the one side of the shirt longer than the other. She yawned like a Slaking.

"Hey, Noel…" she covered her mouth for another yawn. "Nice sleep?"

"Definitely. After a long shower, I was out like a light." she turned the faucet on.

"I feel ya. Yesterday was quite the brawl." she stuck her fists up, beginning to get energized. "Didja see me knock out the sucker with the big nose? He went down HARD!" she made punching movements.

"I got worried about you." she splashed her face with water. "I thought you were the one getting knocked out."

"Don't worry about me, hey? I'm the boxing champion of Oldale Town! Pow-pow, put 'em up, sucka!"

"Official or self-proclaimed?" Noel raised an eyebrow.

Krys lowered her fists. "Official in my head."

Laughing, Noel splashed some more water in her face, cleaning any overnight soot that may have remained. In the middle of Krys' laughter, she caught a glimmer coming from Noel's sternum. She had seen it when she leaned over for another splash.

"Noel, what's that?" she asked, curiosity rising.

"Hm?" she looked up.

Krys swallowed. "Your shirt…" her eyes widened. "Noel, is that a scar?" she reached her hand out.

Noel took a step back, clearly defensive. "What are you talking about?"

"There's something wrong with your chest…not the boobage kind."

Swampert seemed to glare at Krys, shaking its head. When Noel backed into it, Swampert made a deep growl, but neither of them knew who it was toward.

"Noel, we're friends, if there's something wrong, I can take it." Krys was genuinely concerned. "Please tell me what's wrong."

Swampert gently pushed Noel forward, who in turn, snapped a worried glance back. Her hand was pressed against her sternum. Letting out a sigh, she unbuttoned only her first button. Before revealing what she had to hide, she looked around the restroom, nobody seeming to be in sight. The glimmer once again caught Krys' eye.

"Noel, come on. It's okay." she reassured her friend.

Hesitantly, Noel uncovered her sternum. There was a black thread lacing around a typical necklace line, scars and seams lining the thread, seeming to be holding it inside of her skin. Attached to the thread was a silver holder, and within that, was a Key Stone, embedded and seemingly forcibly sewn into her chest. The scarring around the stone was the worst, the thread only needing to be stitched, but such a stone must have required…effort. Krys' eyes widened.

"Noel…" she looked up from it. "What…what…"

Immediately, Noel re-buttoned the button. "It's nothing."

"Noel! That is a KEY STONE sewn into your CHEST." she spoke bluntly. "That isn't just a boo-boo, that's a BOO-BOO. ALL CAPS. BOO-BOO."

Swampert stood near the door, looking through Noel's back, as if in a disappointment, or perhaps it was pity.

"Did you do this to yourself…?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't seen it. I'm surprised nobody's seen it, quite frankly. I change in front of you guys, I changed with you right there on day one, and I got no responses."

"I TURN AROUND. WE ALL DO. THAT'S SIMPLE GIRL CODE."

"Don't be so loud!" she hissed, covering Krys' mouth. "Listen. You can't tell anybody about this. Not Archie, not JJ, not Shelly. Okay?"

Krys nodded. "Girl code." she whispered.

"I'm sorry I was so tough with this." she breathed out. "You're my friend, and that's the first person I've shown it to on my own accord."

Krys didn't ask any more questions. "I'm sorry I pressured you like that. I'm gonna drop it, wipe my memory, this never even happened." she made a high pitched noise, symbolizing a rewinding tape.

Noel smiled. "Thank you."

 

Three days later, Noel was surprised to hear that Archie needed to see her. Her first thought was that Krys could have broken her promise, leaking to Archie about Noel's…abnormality. In her fear, there was also the hopeful possibility that Archie was going to be discussing her scientific credentials with her. Either one caused her muscles to tense, worrying herself. Approaching the set of three warp panels, she stepped onto the one on the right, the brilliant green coding passing over her eyes. In an instant, she was facing Archie, who had a stern expression on his face.

_Does he know about the Key Stone?_ She wondered in a cold sweat.

"Thanks for getting here so quickly, scamp." he nodded, gesturing to the table with chairs. "Have a seat."

_Is he going to let me go from the team?_

They both sat down, facing one another, Archie's hands folded.

"So, Noel." he started. "I have a question for you."

"Y-yes sir?"

"You're Noel  _Wilson_ , aren't you?" he asked.

Her eyes widened in surprise, not expecting that question. "Yes, yes I am."

He sighed. "That's what I figured."

"Why are you asking me this?"

He turned around in his chair and turned the television on, a recorded clip playing on the screen. He turned back around to watch her face.

_"_ _The nearly month long search for missing trainer, Noel Wilson, has been woefully called off."_

Her face lost all circulation, turning absolutely white. Her face, her happy, smiling face, appeared on screen.

_"_ _Noel Wilson went missing in the explosion of Ocean Liner 1967 after her heroic actions of rescuing those on board. After scouring the ocean's floor and surrounding islands endlessly, the rangers have called off their search, much to Pokémon League Champion, Steven Stone's, refusal._

A bead of sweat dribbled down the side of her face, her teeth clenched.

_"_ _Noel Wilson is presumed dead."_

The words gripping her hard, she slowly looked down at Archie, who seemed to be staring at her face this entire time. He motioned with his head back up to the screen, not taking his eyes off, the sapphire orbs piercing her soul intimidatingly. She looked back up at the screen.

_"_ _Until further notice, the champion states he will not be accepting any challenges. He says he wishes to be left alone in this time of loss. The calamity of this manner will stay with us for a long time, as this was the final branch of her proud family. Pray for her tonight, and pray she is with her father now. Thank you for watching, have a safe night."_

Archie turned the television off, setting the remote back on the table. He folded his hands in front of him.

"What…what do you want me to say…?" her voice shook.

"I'm a bit speechless myself. It caught me off guard when I heard that one of my grunts was apparently dead."

She was embarrassed, but she didn't know why.

"Your dad then…he—"

"…was part of the Elite Four. Yes." she nodded. "He was the fire type master, Demetrius Wilson." she looked at her lap, eyes barricading back tears.

"And you worked at the Space Center under the leadership of Professor Cosmo." he continued.

She nodded again. "Yes…"

"And I, like a dick, just made you rob your former boss."

"Not 'like a dick'…"

"Noel, why didn't you let me know sooner? That you had this great life back there?"

"Honestly?" she looked up.

"Yea."

"I thought you guys were gonna kick my ass." she smiled, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"NOEL, THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL ANY BETTER."

"Well it doesn't matter anymore." she sniffled. "I'm dead to them now. All that matters is that I'm here." her eyes didn't match her words. "I am Aqua now, not Mossdeep."

"Noel—''

"Stop." she held her hand up, signaling his silence, and stood from the chair. "Don't feel obligated to take the blame. This isn't your fault. This was my decision, and I plan on sticking to it."

"Why does some a' that sound familiar?" he stood as well.

"Cause I was told that not long ago and I decided to believe it." she wiped her face. "Does everyone else know?"

"I let Matt and Shelly know."

"I don't want this to affect any of my missions in the future." she closed her eyes. "If Steven or Cosmo show up again, I'll know what to do." she opened her seemingly blank navy eyes, as if drowning her sadness in a dark ocean. "I need to let myself die from them altogether. Become an enigma."

"Like a water ninja." he mused.

"Yup." she smiled again. "Like a water ninja."

"Noel, I hate to change the subject like an ass, but please tell me what you studied under Professor Cosmo."

"Evolution of Pokémon, as well as marine research and evaluation of the oceanic regions around Mossdeep City."

A glimmer appeared in Archie's eyes. "Evolution?"

She nodded.

"Do you know anything about  _Mega Evolution_?"

A lump formed in her chest, beneath the embedded Key Stone which was completely hidden by her uniform.

"Yes."

A shark-like smile spread across Archie's face. "I'd like you to become an assistant scientist to those working in the labs. This is what I've been looking for." he clapped his hands together. "This was a great heart-to-heart scamp, but I have some stuff I gotta take care of! I'm excited now!"

She blinked, this whole situation going from depressed, to vigilante, to science in an amount of fifteen minutes. What a time to be alive.

"Go do some sciencin'! I can't wait until you find out the mysteries hidden inside the data from that meteorite!"

As she approached the warp panel, she turned again. "Archie."

"Aye?"

"Tell anyone I cried and I'm kicking your ass." she stepped onto the warp panel in a salute.

 

The next day, Noel reported to the labs that were located near the rear of the base. A pair of sliding doors opened, revealing the computer screens and scientists littered about the room. Surprisingly, there were very few of them, all working on a separate assignment. The one that greeted her was a man named Hyde. He looked about 45, wrinkles setting in under his eyes from a lack of sleep, gray hair seeping in at the roots of his black hair. He wore a white lab coat, wearing black attire beneath it. He somewhat reminded her of her father.

"Good morning, Noel. I am Hyde, and I will be your mentor of sorts." he shook her hand.

"Good morning." she greeted with a formal smile.

"As Archie has told me, you are familiar with the concept of mega-evolution. I'm looking forward to working with you." they walked to an assortment of computers. "Here we have the data Archie contracted from the meteorite."

Noel leaned down to read the numerals on the screen.

"Also, there are a number of experiments revolving around a suit currently in development, many thanks to our very own Shelly."

Noel stood up straight. "Shelly?"

"Shelly used to work at the Devon Corporation. She got us the plans for this suit." he led her to a pedestal where a blue diving suit was hanging. "It's supposed to allow the user to breathe underwater, as well as communicate through an implanted microphone while diving at incredible depths. However, as I mentioned, it is currently in development."

"Interesting." she commented as another scientist brought over a lab coat, goggles, and clipboard.

"These are for you." Hyde told her. "When working on artifacts, please wear the goggles. When you have missions and duties, please, by all means, handle that first. Any other free time you have should be in here. Is that alright?"

Noel donned the lab coat. "Understood."

"Perfect." Hyde took her back to the row of computers. "Please look at the clipboard handed to you."

She did, flipping through pages of meteorite sketches and data, along with formulas and statistics.

"The first objective is to find out what that meteorite can tell us about evolution. Let me know when you find something."

"Aye aye." she responded, still reading.

After Hyde walked away, Noel took a seat in front of a computer. Using several different pieces of scrap paper, she copied the formulas and began writing all she knew on mega evolution. In the sequences of data, she began to see similarities in the characteristics of transformation.

"Hyde, I have a question."

Hearing her, he walked over. "Yes?"

"Do you think we could scan a Pokémon's Mega-Evolution stone? It might give me some more information."

"Well, at the moment, we don't have one to study."

She let Swampert out of its ball. When it appeared, it blinked and nodded at the scientist.

"Swampert, can I have your mega-stone for a second?" she asked.

Nodding, Swampert lifted its back foot, revealing a small clasp around its ankle. Embedded in the middle was a Swampertite.

"Are you saying Swampert will allow us to study its stone?" Hyde raised his eyebrows.

Swampert nodded as Noel undid the clasp. After patting its head, Swampert returned to its ball.

"Can we get this scanned so I can have its data? If I can compare streams, we might find something." she held the stone up to her eyes.

Hyde took the stone and ran it over to a machine. Noel waiting patiently, very thankful to her Pokémon for allowing this. She had wondered why they never thought of this on their own, Archie having a Key Stone and all. When Hyde returned, he held the sequences of the stone in his hand.

"And you think you'll find something in this?" he handed her the papers.

"Yes, hopefully. I'll do my own thing now, sorry to have bothered you." she took the stone back from him as well.

It felt good to be immersed in the glory of science once again.

 

Noel rarely left the lab for two days after she began finding evidence of similarities between the meteorite and the Swampertite. What she had concluded were things she already knew, but when the data was in front of her, it seemed even more expansive. The meteorite's data showed that a similar process would occur between it and another Pokémon, but that particular process wasn't found anywhere in a data log or anything, leading her to believe it was most likely an undiscovered or even legendary Pokémon. Found in the Swampertite was the same type of sequence, a sequence that allowed interaction between the Key Stone and that of another stone similar to Swampertite, a sequence that changed with the bond between the two stones. With the bond between the individuals, meaning the Pokémon and its trainer, would influence the stones to function, explaining why not all trainers were capable of mega-evolving their Pokémon. Standing with her results, she looked for Hyde.

"Noel, what is it you've found?" he accepted her papers and looked over them.

"The meteorite matches the DNA sequence of another Pokémon, but it isn't listed in a data log anywhere that I can find. I think it's a sequence only found in legendary Pokémon. I would need a legendary, or even its mega-stone if one exists, to get a closer match." she explained.

A glimmer appeared in Hyde's eye. "I'm going to report this to Archie immediately."

Hyde walked off, leaving Noel alone in the lab. She released Swampert to reattach its mega-stone to the clasp, the happy water-type now able to mega-evolve again. She returned it to the Pokeball and stood there, eyes closed, thinking about her research. Was Archie researching the ability of mega-evolution in legendaries? No. That wasn't it.

_This reminds me of something Steven told me once…something with Kyogre…_

The sound of doors opening averted her attention back with open eyes. Before her was Matt, the incredibly ripped Aqua admin with a type of tribal paint over his face. He was smiling.

"Hey, Noel!" he greeted with a  _very_ firm handshake, knocking her noggin around. "Hyde here tells me what you've found, and my bro loves the idea! He's so in love with it, he issued a mission for just the two of us!"

"A mission?"

"Leave your nerd stuff here, we're going on a special adventure." he pounded his fist into his open palm in excitement.

She took her lab coat off and tied up her hair, bandana going with it. With a nod, Hyde let her walk with the admin, almost trembling from the powerful aura he gave off.

"Bro's had this mission figured out for a long time, he just didn't want to issue it until he knew for sure what he was doing." he informed her, heading for the exit to the base. "Can your Salamence carry me?"

She blinked in surprise. "Well, it could carry Archie, so probably."

"Great!"

She was almost terrified that he would slap her back like Archie does. She could imagine herself flying across the room from the force, splattering on the wall. When they had made it out of the base and out of the cave, they were met with a familiar grueling sunlight. Matt shielded his eyes with his hand as he surveyed the skies. He must have been mapping out a flight plan. She released Salamence, whose eyes widened in surprise, seeing the size of the man about to fly on his back.

"Salamence, can you do it?" she asked, understanding the worry.

It nodded, still wary even when Matt took a seat on its back. When Noel sat down in front, it growled.

"Still okay?" she asked, guilty smile on her face.

Its face read yes. With a mighty flap, they were air born.

"Now Noel, Archie's given me the coordinates of where we're supposed to go. It's called Southern Island."

She nodded, listening to Matt's directions and telling Salamence where to fly. They flew over the ocean, Salamence roaring at swarms of Swablu that flew by. Below them, Noel could see Route 128, and even farther, she could clearly see Pacificdlog when they flew over it, the floating houses seeming like nothing at their great altitude.

"There, Noel, to the left." he pointed to a small island that wouldn't be typically recognizable, due to the fact that it was floating in the sky.

Salamence turned, beating its wings in that direction to go faster.

"We're looking for Latias." he told her. "Apparently, it has its own mega-stone that could help with our research. We need to capture it."

She nodded. "Understood."

As the neared the island, they saw Latios, the blue one of the two, as well as two passengers whom she did not see. Salamence flew closer to the island, finding a discrete place to land. When Salamence was on the ground, it was relieved to have Matt off of its back. Noel apologized and brought him back to his ball. She turned around and looked around the island, waterfalls and a lush forest surrounding them. There was an aura that put her at ease, but there was a feeling that tugged at her. She turned to the Latios that seemed on its guard. She walked over to it, hand outstretched.

"Hey, buddy…" she spoke quietly. "Don't be afraid, I'm not gonna hurt you…" she pet its head.

Her nostrils were filled with a familiar scent, like cologne. Her eyes narrowed.

"Who did you bring with you?"

Latios, seeming to read her mind, smiled. Matt distracted her for a moment.

"Let's go, did you see those passengers? They must have come through here." Matt led the way.

They were led down a forested area with berry bushes and beautiful smells, along with the flowing of rivers and the sounds of calm ambiance. Suddenly, Matt's outstretched hand stopped her.

"Matt, what is it?" she whispered.

He snuck over behind a tree and allowed her to see who he saw. She couldn't believe her eyes as they widened in disbelief. The female trainer from Mt. Chimney was interacting with Latias, and she wasn't alone. To her left was Steven Stone. Noel began to panic on the inside.

"This isn't good." Matt whispered.

"Yea, you're tellin' me…" she whispered.

Matt untied his Aqua bandana from the golden rope keeping his pants up and handed it to her.

"If you cover your face, he might not recognize you." he whispered. "Also, tie your hair up differently. Cover it or something."

Noel tied the bandana around her face, keeping only her eyes exposed. Her hair was then tied into a tighter, lower hanging ponytail with her scalp and forehead covered by the bandana. Nodding, Matt and she walked side by side into the clearing.

Steven turned around, his expression shocking Noel. He appeared sleep deprived, brows furrowed and his eyes read a sense of defeat. The female trainer turned with him.

"Team Aqua, is it?" he greeted, monotone level voice. "I see Latias noticed your presence approaching, so it called out for help. What are you doing here?" he looked mainly at Matt.

"You're the pipsqueak who keeps getting in our way!" he ignored Steven's question, talking to the female trainer. "And you. You're Steven Stone." he narrowed his eyes.

"Glad to know I'm so well known."

"Well yer all over the news." Matt smiled mischievously. "How's Mossdeep without yer girlie friend?"

Steven grinded his teeth. "You shut your mouth right now."

_WOW, MATT. WOW. RIGHT HERE._

"Anyway, I don't have time for that right now." Matt pounded the Aqua symbol painted on his chest. "The name's Matt! In fact, it's Aqua Admin Matt to you!" he pointed to Latias. "And what we need is that Latias floatin' right behind you!"

"Oh really?" Steven looked…unwell.

"So how 'bout it? Hand it over with its mega-stone and we won't rough you up." Matt proposed.

"We're not moving." the female trainer said, astonishing Noel.

_Wow, she actually talks._

"Good answer, May." Steven grabbed a Pokeball. "We're going to battle alongside each other. We need to protect this Latias. We need to protect it from these beasts together!"

Noel grabbed Swellow's Pokeball for the soul reason of it being a typical Pokémon for any trainer. She would make herself suspicious if she used any of her other Pokémon. Matt smiled devilishly.

"Beasts, huh?" he looked down at Noel, who looked up at him. "I don't think so."

"You're villains, the both of you." Steven scowled at Noel now, who immediately evaded his eyesight. "We will protect this Latias."

"Then you're both stupid." Matt grabbed a Pokeball. "We're gonna pound you!"

May released a Loudred, roaring at the top of its lungs, while Steven released a Metang. It occurred to Noel that this was a Pokémon he raised on the side, not his real Metagross. Matt brought out his Sharpedo, and Noel threw Swellow's Pokeball in the air. When Swellow emerged and saw what was happening, it fluttered its wings in a momentary panic, but when it looked back at Noel, it understood her wishes. She and Matt unconsciously decided that his job would be to take out Metang and her job would be to take out Loudred. Here came the hard part, openly commanding her Pokémon.

She cleared her throat. "Swellow, use Aerial Ace!"

Swellow, with dazzling speed, aimed for Loudred. Loudred, however, used Uproar, trying to recoil Swellow back. Little did that child know was that Swellow's determination trumped any Uproar. Swellow pushed through the Uproar and made a clear hit, sending Loudred backward. Matt was attempting to make quick work of Steven's Metang, the two of them being at equal strength. Steven was clearly effected mentally and unable to battle with his usual finesse. Loudred ran forward for a Crunch, which connected with Swellow's left wing.

"Whirlwind!" Noel shouted.

The aggressive speed of Swellow flapping its wings was enough to send Loudred flying into its trainer. Seeing Matt struggle and the fainted purple beast, Noel focused her attention on Steven's Metang.

"Air Slash, now!" she shouted.

A gust of air pierced Metang's body, causing it to flinch, giving Sharpedo the advantage of its Aqua Jet. Sharpedo slammed Metang with its body, along with a current of self-generated, cascading water. Metang was weakened enough for another Aerial Ace, but Steven stepped in the battle.

"You!" he pointed to Noel, frenzy laid about his eyes.

She grimaced, calling Swellow over.

"Take the mega-stone from Latias." she whispered to her Pokémon.

Swellow flapped its wings, sending a powerful gust of air into Steven and May alike, forcing them to cover their faces and cry out. Without the legendary's notice, Swellow plucked the mega-stone right out of its hands. Noel took the stone and tucked it away upon its return to her. Steven uncovered his face and looked at Noel.

"I haven't seen Pokémon with such determination in a long time." he said. "And the way you command them…it's almost too-recognizable…"

_Matt, we need to leave._ She thought to herself.

As she went to look up at Matt, she made accidental eye contact with Steven. His eyes widened.

"Navy blue…?" he muttered to himself. "Who are you?!" he shouted at her.

"We have what we want." Matt spoke for her. "Gotta go."

She turned and ran back into the forest, Matt at her heels. Steven, manic with a hunch, sped right after them. Noel sprinted through the woods, hearing Steven call for her from behind.

"WAIT!" he shouted. "TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!"

"Noel, if he sees your Salamence-!" Matt shouted.

"Just jump off the ledge!" she shouted back.

"What?!"

"JUST TRUST ME!" she screamed.

As they broke out of the forest, they were in full sunlight once again. Steven was still fresh on their tails, screaming for them to stop where they were. At this point, Noel knew that he could see her hair. She hoped to Arceus that he didn't know her identity completely. As they reached the ledge of the island, she grabbed Salamence's Pokeball and prepared to jump. Noel was off the ledge first, arms out to the side, with Matt right behind her.

"SALAMENCE!" she released him.

Before they were too close to the water, it caught the two of them and flew off as fast as it could. Noel turned around, panting hard, and watched as Steven stood there, eventually dropping to his knees. She hunched forward after that, panting and resting her head on Salamence.

"That took severe guts. Do you think he found out?" Matt asked.

"No." she breathed. "I would be able to tell. He had a hunch, but to him, he wasn't correct." she sat up, still breathing heavily. "It doesn't matter anyway." she pulled out the Latiasite. "Because we got what we were looking for."


	5. Hung Out To Dry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me for what happens in this chapter. I already know I'm going to hell. Enjoy.

When the two of them returned to the base, they went to report their experience to Archie. First, Noel presented him with the Latiasite. Archie was bummed that he didn't have a real-deal Latias in his hands, but the Latiasite was good enough. At this point, Noel had returned Matt's bandana back to him, no longer needing to hide her face. Matt was the one who explained their meeting with Steven Stone.

"What?" Archie's eyes twitched. "Steven Stone?"

"He was there with that Pokémon Trainer girl from Mt. Chimney, bro." Matt explained. "They wanted to protect the Latias."

"And from your results, they failed." Archie concluded.

"Pretty much, bro." Matt nodded. "Noel snagged the Latiasite with her Swellow while fancy-pants' guard was down, and boy, was it down."

"Steven was in a particularly weakened mental state that crippled his battle abilities." Noel reported. "It was fairly easy for us to wipe the pair out." she looked at Archie. "He was so certain he had laid his eyes on me for a brief moment, but I believe we crushed him after the fact. Steven Stone is broken." she lowered her head.

"He chased after us thinking that he saw Noel for real. Like, we know she's Noel, but to him, she's a grunt. We need to keep it that way for a while." Matt confirmed.

Archie thought for a little while, eyes closed.

"Noel."

"Yes, leader?" she looked up.

"I want you to have a day off tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll have Hyde and the other scientists look at the Latiasite." he ordered.

"But Archie—"

"That's an order." his stare went straight through her.

She stiffened and straightened her posture. "Aye aye."

He dismissed her, sending her away with a cluster of feelings. As she stepped through the warp panel, she couldn't help but think that all of this was her own fault. Why did she want to remain here instead of going back home? Why didn't she tell Archie everything like he said? What was holding her back from stepping out of the shadows, and why on earth was she afraid of her old friends seeing her? As her head hung low, she heard a jolly voice ring through the air, her best friend careening down the hall at strenuous speeds.

"NOEL I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Krys ran forward and hugged her, picking her up and spinning her around.

Hugging her back, Noel took in the warmth that swelled from Krys' very being, cherishing that closeness for a few moments.

"Noel?" Krys patted her back. "Are you okay?"

"I need to talk to you, Krys. Are you free?" she let go of her friend.

"AM I?" she took Noel's hand and they walked back to the bunk room together. "What's on your mind, Noel?"

When they reached their bunk bed, they sat down on the floor next to it. Noel took her hair out, letting it fall down her back.

"I want to tell you some things that have been going on. I think it's time I told you everything about me."

So Noel told her tale. She talked about how she lived in Mossdeep City, studying under the clumsy yet clever as hell Professor Cosmo. She also told her about Steven Stone, the awkward neighbor that had the dazzling steel type Pokémon, always trying to trump her in childhood to present. Then she explained how she was on her cruise, how she met Maxie and what happened on that stormy night. Then she explained why her face was all over the news.

"I know you don't watch TV much, let alone the news. So that's why I've been stressed out lately, if you could tell."

"And you're telling me this because you don't know why you want to leave all of that behind. Is that right?" Krys asked.

"Yes. I don't understand why I would want to leave that and just…come here and destroy it…"

"Noel, you aren't destroying it. You've found a goal. You've found a path to strive down, so you're following it."

"What?"

"To me, that home life sounds fine and good, but hey, that sounds really fucking boring. No offense, but wow, how could you survive that fancy living shit? No battles, a paying job every day that prevents battling and striving for glory, a friend that you can't defeat?" Krys smiled. "Noel, you want to stay with Team Aqua because you've found a cause to fight for. You've found your fight, and you're going to do whatever it takes to follow that path, and most of all, win. And that's a damned good reason to leave all that behind if I do say so myself."

Noel looked down at the floor. "Yea…" she smiled.

"So don't feel stressed out anymore. Don't feel like you're doing the wrong thing. Because to me, Noel, this is the best decision you've made in your life."

Noel hugged her friend tightly.

"Whoa, Noel. You alright?"

"Yea…I just needed to hear that…" she sniffled.

"Dude, are you CRYING?"

"I have a day off tomorrow. You wanna hang out?"

"I'LL HANG OUT WITH YOU IF YOU STOP CRYING, SWEET FRECKLED ARCEUS."

 

 

The next morning, Noel and Krys woke up together, around nine. Krys had offered to go to the Lilycove Department Store, but that would pose a problem.

"Krys, my face is plastered all over the region. I'm dead, remember?"

She whipped out a picture that resembled the image on the news. "I had JJ print this out for me."

"Of course you did." she crossed her arms. "Now how is that going to help?"

"Well…you're tanner now than in the picture. Also, in this picture, you're wearing a t-shirt and shorts. AND you have your hair up in the picture. Which reminds me, leave it out more. I like it better that way." she smiled.

"But the people of Mossdeep have seen me with my hair down." Noel protested.

Krys pouted and smacked her head with the picture. "You're just making sure I don't see those lusty locks! Listen to me on this one."

"Fine. I'll leave my hair down. Now what do you propose I wear then?"

"If we give you sunglasses, your eyes will be hidden. I have some sun dresses you could borrow."

"Krys." she gestured to her sternum and raised her eyebrows. "I can't."

"You can if you wear a big necklace over it. I've got you covered." she shuffled through her bag and pulled out a necklace with a large shell at the end, large enough to cover the Key Stone. "Voila. The shell will make a dome over it. No biggie. And the scar can be touched up with concealer; you can always play it off as a Sharpedo attack."

"Alright. I'll take your word for it." she put it on; it was big enough to completely cover the stone. "I'm sorry I keep borrowing your clothes and stuff."

"That's why we're going! Get your own damn clothes…" she smiled.

When Krys said sun dress, she literally meant a sun. Noel ended up wearing a black sun dress with a Solrock on it, the colors of the Pokémon matching the colors of her necklace. She was also given sunglasses to wear, along with an old purse that one of the other grunts pawned off on her. She liked it, it was white and black like her Glalie. Equipped with her Pokeballs and flip flops, she was ready to venture out into public. The pay she received was tucked inside her purse, ready to be spent on clothing for her own self. Finally.

"You ready?" Krys asked.

Noel nodded. Krys had picked out a purple blouse with black shorts. She kept her hair down as well. She didn't have a purse, she had a wallet tucked into her pocket, and she wore athletic sandals. They left the bunk room and headed out the exit. The grunt stopped them.

"Can't let you ladies surf through that looking like beauties. Lemme get a boat for ya." he smiled.

The grunt pulled up a wooden boat for the girls to sit in. He steered the boat with his Carvanha and brought them out of the cave and into the sunlight. Noel put her sunglasses on as she felt the warmth on her skin. The grunt brought them to the edge of the beach and allowed them to step off.

"Have a great day off, ladies." he winked.

Krys hit him with her sandal. "GET OUTTA HERE. THESE CURVES AINT FOR YOU, BUDDY."

Terrified, the grunt sped back to the base while wailing an apology. As Krys stood there, sandal in hand, Noel started laughing. Krys put her sandal back on and took Noel's hand, nearly dragging her up the sand dunes and onto the boiling pavement of Lilycove's streets. Looming over the street was the famous Lilycove Department Store. They walked through the automatic doors and were met with the cool breeze of the air conditioning. Noel, even though 'disguised', felt tense. If someone recognized her, it would be game over. Krys could sense her friend's fear, so she just patted her back.

"Come on, there's so many shops we can go to!" Krys led her to the directory. "Let's go to Lopunny Secret, we can get you more of those Crobat undies you like." Krys taunted her.

She turned pink. "Don't…say that out loud please…"

"Ya know, you only started wearing those after Mt. Chimney…did you see a Crobat?" Krys pondered to herself, tapping her chin while walking upstairs.

Noel sighed, following her friend upstairs and into the abyss of stores. They visited many clothing stores, including Lopunny Secret, where Noel did do her shopping for various undergarments. After that, they visited a store that Krys enjoyed quite a bit; it was an athletics store with boxing gloves and training gear for Pokémon. She bought a Macho Brace and a Strength Plate for her Pokémon. Noel did some shopping for more shorts and t-shirts, having Krys yell at her the whole time. Something about 'expanding her fashion sense' or whatever. She ended up buying a t-shirt that had a Swampert on it, along with some keychains for her bag. When they got hungry, they went to the ice-cream stand located on the roof. To their surprise, there was a blowout sale on plushies and cushions being sold by a vendor under an umbrella located there as well. Licking her vanilla ice cream cone, Noel pondered over the purchase of a Togepi doll or a Sableye doll. Krys suggested the Sableye doll because that 'matched Noel to a T'. She said she was 'stealthy and cunning, along with having the beauty of the purplest of evenings'. Noel took her friend's advice. The sun was a little past directly overhead, and as they left the Department Store, they decided to stop by a café to get some lunch. Krys got a double-stacked burger while Noel got, to no surprise, the same exact thing. They 'clinked' their burgers together in a toast and talked about their lives before Aqua, the focus mainly on Krys.

"My Ma and I always did the laundry together." she said. "She always told me I was too rough with the delicate wash, scrubbin' it too furiously." she took a sip of her soda pop. "That's when I would go outside and take a stroll around old Oldale, lookin' at a nerd accidentally studying his own footprints. Then these kids would throw mud-pies at each other. Sometimes some Beautifly would flutter right on by and I would watch as they flew down Route 103."

"That sounds peaceful." Noel commented.

"That's exactly it, though. It was peaceful; I needed some ruckus in my life, you know?" she bit into her burger. "So when Team Aqua came through handing out applications, I didn't hesitate. I signed up and packed my bags. I took Mightyena with me and took my journey through the cities and found my way here, where I went fishin' and caught my Carvanha." she smiled.

"You found your ambitions and you followed your path."

"Exactly, friendaroonie." she munched on a French fry. "And it was the best decision of my life."

Noel nodded. "I'm glad."

"And if this resolve doesn't work out…if I fail somehow…I wanna see my Ma and my Pa again…" she leaned back in her chair. "If something happens to me…I want my team to tell my folks. Even if it's just an injury, they gotta know! They gotta know how their little Krys is…" she sighed. "But you know what I always tell 'em?"

"What?"

"I'M TWENTY-FIVE, MA! I'M NOT A KID ANYMORE!"

The sun set after a few more hours of roaming around the city, laughing and eating. When the sun was almost sunken below the ocean, Noel felt she needed to still do something.

"Ya know, Krys," she started. "I bought all of these things to decorate my life with today. But I can't decorate it without someone special."

"What do you mean?"

She turned to ask with a serious face. "You wanna help me rob my old house?"

"Oh my god, Noel! That's risky!"

"My house in Mossdeep lies at the end of the rocks; I can sneak up from behind with the rocks and sneak in. Nobody will see."

"Alright, let's go then." she smiled.

Salamence was concealed by the quickly darkening sky. It landed on the beach behind Noel's house, all of the others having either lights off or dimmed. She knew nobody would be out at this hour. She jimmied open her back window, which she never kept locked, and climbed inside her old home.

"You can walk around the house if you want, or you can keep watch." Noel whispered.

"I'll keep watch." Krys nodded, Salamence hiding itself under some rocks.

Noel didn't turn any lights on, she needed to remember the layout of her own home. She made a beeline for her dresser, feeling around for the object she was looking for. Finally, her fingers bumped that of a picture frame. She smiled, tucking it away carefully in her purse. She also scoured around under her bed, pulling out her old photo albums. She took a bag from her closet that had a Metagross on it and stuffed the old albums in there, smiling, knowing now that she wasn't alone. With that, she got some Pokémon toys and food that she knew wasn't expired, she knew because she always bought in bulk, and took all of it with her. She climbed through the window and closed it behind her. When she was done placing the bags with the others on Salamence, Krys and Mightyena called her back up.

"Noel…come and see this." her voice sounded sad.

Noel climbed back up the rocks and up to Krys, who led her to the front of her home. Noel's eyes widened when she saw what Krys wanted her to witness. In front of her door and windows, there were candles and flowers. In a frame was a picture of her, and among other framed pieces there were some of her at work, her with Steven, and her with her father. A Swampert doll was placed next to the image of her. A tear formed in the pit of her eye and she bit her lip. Mightyena rubbed its head against her calf, trying to cheer her up.

"Was this a bad idea? I'm sorry…" Krys apologized.

"No. I'm glad you showed me this." she wiped her eyes, picking up a flower crown placed in the front of the arrangements. She put it on. "I'm dead to them. I'm free."

They heard footsteps behind them, along with a gasp.

"Noel?" it was an old man's voice.

She half turned, seeing Captain Sturth, the sweet old boat captain. Krys had hidden beside the house.

"Flash!" Krys whispered to Mightyena.

Sturth covered his eyes with his arms. In that flash, Noel was hidden, giving Krys the opportunity to grab Noel and take her back down the rocks. They had escaped. They hid, hearing voices above them.

"Old man Sturth, what is it? Why summon me?" it was Steven's voice.

"I saw the ghost of the young miss." they heard Sturth say. "In a beautiful black dress, wearing the flower crown made for her by the children. I saw here, and then in a shimmer of light, she was gone. She visited us in the night, Mr. Stone."

Steven must have been soaking it in, because he went silent.

"Please, my boy." Sturth said. "Let your heart be at ease now."

"Let's get out of here." Noel whispered to Salamence.

Without being noticed, the trio flew off in the night, back to Lilycove. When they landed, Krys radioed for the boatman. She looked up at her friend.

"Noel, what did you need to get back there, anyway?"

Noel pulled the picture frame out of her purse. Within it was a picture of her father.

"I couldn't let him fill with dust…I needed to get him…"

Krys stared at the picture and nodded. "I get it."

The boatman appeared, waving, but then he stopped when he saw Krys. He turned his head and parked the boat. When Noel stepped into the boat, Krys followed her and gave her a hug from behind.

"Today was awesome. Thanks for inviting me out on your day off."

"No problem." Noel smiled. "Best friends forever, right?"

"Right."

 

 

The next morning, Noel was summoned to Archie's quarters once again. She was nervous, the last time they had spoken, Archie sent her away, almost angry with her it seemed. When she arrived this time, all three admins were there.

"Mornin', scampo!" Archie greeted her with a smile. "We called you here today to talk about something excitin' with you."

She blinked. "Did you find something with the Latiasite?"

"That ain't it." he looked at Shelly. "You wanna explain?"

"Aye." Shelly stepped forward. "Based on the actions you've taken in the past few missions, we find your attitude toward the team exemplary. You're positive with other grunts and you feel a strong passion for what we as a team are hoping to strive toward."

Matt chimed in. "You have guts, kiddo. You think of shit on the spot and follow what our Archie says without fail. Bro?"

Archie walked over and patted her shoulder. "How would you like to be promoted to a Team Aqua Admin?"

Noel's eyes lit up. "AN ADMIN?"

"We think yer worthy enough. Of course, you'd have to defeat me in battle in order to get the position." he smirked.

Noel smirked in return, confidence flaring in her eyes. "I'll do it."

"BWAHAHAHA! I KNEW YA WOULD, SCAMP!" Archie roared. "I'll make the battle preparations for this afternoon. Shelly and Matt will come get ya and bring you to the training dome, where mock battles are usually performed. In this case, it's the ultimate battle arena."

"I'll be looking forward to it." she answered, smirking darkly.

After saluting, she left through the warp panel. When she emerged, Archie's voice could be heard over the loud speakers. He explained what time the battle was going to be and what it was for. Before she knew it, grunts began cheering and looking her direction, and it was only a matter of time until Krys' head could be seen racing through the swarms of people. Noel braced herself, but when Krys approached, she slowed to a jog.

"So I hear you're battling for admin position." she caught her breath, smiling the whole way. "I'm so happy for you, Noel!" she gave her a hug. "You're gonna kick ass!"

"I'm really nervous." Noel admitted. "Like, I'm battling ARCHIE. The leader of Team Aqua…can I do it?"

"HELL YEA YOU CAN!" Krys high-fived her.

"Okay, we need to talk battle strategy." Noel walked forward. "Archie only has three Pokémon, so I assume I need to select three as well." she squinted, thinking of the battle line-up. "He has a Mightyena, a Crobat, and a Sharpedo. I need to bring out…" she got lost in thought.

"How do you know that? Did he battle in front of you?"

"At Mt. Chimney." she answered absently.

Krys gasped. "THE CROBAT UNDERWEAR."

Face turning red, she covered Krys' mouth. "SSSHHH."

Grunts looked at her and stopped walking, but then they continued their routes to wherever they were going. Krys did a small dance in her spot.

"Noel likes Archie, Noel likes Archie…" she chanted quietly.

"You stop that." Noel turned away, face red.

"It's okay. We're allowed to have our crushes." she smiled.

"Anyway, I think I'm going to have one of them Mega Evolve…" she continued talking to herself.

"What? In front of all the people watching?" Krys' eyes widened in surprise. "What are you going to say if people ask about it?"

"I'll lie. Good and simple." Noel seemed to want to bury the subject.

A red warning light and blaring alarm went off over their heads, sending all the grunts into a frenzy. Noel ran back towards the entrance of the base, hand on Swampert's Pokeball for good measure. When she reached the main room, there was a large man with beady eyes fighting off a swarm of Aqua grunts. He seemed to be held back. The hoard of Carvanha using Water Gun on his Camerupt had no issue, sending it and its trainer, who appeared to be from Team Magma, to the ground. When Noel came running, they were in the process of holding him down, as well as rummaging through his pockets. The man was a tad heavy-set, but his rampant frustration made his struggle even harder for the grunts to hold him down. The man was then stopped by a swift kick to the head thanks to Krys. He breathed heavily, anger swimming in his words and his eyes.

"YOU AQUA BASTARDS!" he squirmed. "You…YOU…YOU DAMN FUCKERS! LET ME GO THIS VERY INSTANT!"

Krys kicked him again, shutting him up. The grunts tied him up with rope and eventually sat him up on his butt, the sweat from his anger dripping off his face, similar to a volcano nearing its eruption. Shelly and Matt came running, stopping in shock when they arrived.

"What's a Magma doing here?!" Shelly shouted. "How did he get in?!"

A grunt stepped forward. "He took out the front guards, ma'am! He and his Camerupt were hoping on stealing our Latiasite!"

"Tch." Shelly walked forward to the man. "You scum, breaking in here like you have full right. Who sent you?"

"The Great Maxie did." he growled. "I, Tabitha, second in command of Team Magma, was instructed to gather intel and yes, steal the Latiasite."

"Matt, what should we do?" Shelly asked.

"Send him to the holding cell and let Archie handle it. If he's second in command, this is a pretty big deal."

She nodded. "You heard him, grunts! Get the land lubber on his feet!"

All of the grunts present, including Noel and Krys, forced Tabitha to his feet. They all pitched in in keeping him walking, even slapping him if he decided to spit anywhere. Noel was grasping his left arm, pulling him along. He chuckled now and again.

"You know, Maxie will be here to destroy you when he finds out." he warned.

"If he does, then we'll see what happens." Shelly snapped at him.

"He'll kill you. I swear, he will." he seemed to aim that at Noel, who paid no mind.

"Shut it, slug!" Krys punched him.

Archie was waiting for them at the holding cells, angry.

"How did he get in here in the first place?" he asked.

"I wiped out your little teammates outside and came right in." Tabitha answered gladly. "Sadly they're still living."

"Throw 'im in." Archie ordered.

They literally threw Tabitha inside the holding cell, watching as he rolled head over heels into the wall. He stood and tried to charge the door, but the cell slammed shut. A grunt held up Tabitha's Pokeball.

"Here's his Camerupt, he didn't seem to have anything else on him." he handed it to Archie.

"Good. Dismissed." Archie looked through the cell bars. "See you later, scamp. We're still on for later today. For now, lemme question this bastard."

Noel gave him a salute before walking away. She and Krys had sweaty palms after cleaning up that hunk of mess.

"Noel…what that Magma guy said…will Maxie really kill us?"

"No. It's a bluff. It has to be." she answered with doubt in her voice.

 

 

At three o'clock, there were Aqua members outside, even tougher security than usual. They were the ones who had offered to keep heavy watch for Team Magma, and they were set up with PokeNavs so they could watch the upcoming battle. Everyone else however, was waiting in the battle dome, seated in bleachers all around, almost like the Pokémon League. Matt and Shelly stood on Archie's side, while Noel's only biggest fan sat in the stands, cheering her on like a wild animal screeching for its next meal. Noel was right, she needed to select three out of her six Pokémon for this battle. Archie stood at his end, the passion burning in his eyes. She could see it from across the arena.

"You ready scamp?!" he shouted from his end.

"AYE AYE!" she screamed.

A horn went off, signaling the beginning of the battle. The crowd roared as the anticipation swelled. Noel threw forward a Pokeball, Metagross flying out, landing on all fours. Its silver radiance gleaming off from the flood lights. Archie grabbed a Pokeball and tossed it in the air and catching it, before WHIPPING the Pokeball with extreme force onto the battlefield. A Mightyena flew out, roaring and digging into the ground with its claws. When Noel saw the force of which he whipped the ball, she was mortified.

_Sweet Arceus and good fuck, he's excited._

Mightyena sped forward to Crunch Metagross' leg, but Noel had other plans.

"Metagross, Hammer Arm!" she commanded.

Like a tanker, Metagross lifted its leg slightly, and when the Mightyena neared impact, Metagross swung its leg into the dog's face, sending it to the side. Of course, from this attack, Metagross' speed was slowed. Mightyena got right back up, barking loudly.

"Snarl!" Archie shouted.

"Metagross, just take it in! Regenerate your speed!" Noel ordered.

A purple aura rippled across the floor with Mightyena's bark, badly effecting Metagross in the process. However, it endured the attack and stood up properly, ready to attack again.

_I knew picking Metagross first would be risky, but I need to figure this out._

Mightyena flew forward once again for a Crunch, knowing Metagross was injured from the Snarl.

"Hyper Beam!" she screamed.

"WHAT?!" She heard Shelly bellow.

A piercing yellow beam of energy shot out of Metagross' mouth, making a direct hit with Archie's Mightyena. An explosion followed, sending Mightyena flying back to its original side of the field. Mightyena had fainted. One down.

"Come back, Metagross!" she returned it to the Pokeball.

Mightyena was returned as well, another Pokeball being chucked out like a bullet.

_Doesn't that hurt his arm?_ She wondered.

She threw forward another Pokeball, and Glalie appeared, sending an intimidating chill down the spines of those who didn't like its face. Out of Archie's ball came a Crobat.

"This will be a synch." she smiled cockily. "Glalie, start off right away with an Ice Beam!"

Crobat dodged the attack with ease. Noel had forgotten to take Crobat's speed into thought, making her feel like a fool. Crobat landed a Poison Fang, hurting Glalie a bit. However, Crobat was then repelled from the cold that radiated off of Glalie's icy body.

"He won't be doing that again, not if he wants a Crobatcicle." she whispered. "Okay, Glalie, Freeze Dry!"

Glalie created a cold vacuum that sucked the moisture from the air, sending it back in a wave in Crobat's direction.

"Acrobatics!" Archie ordered.

Crobat attempted to fight through the freezing air with its Acrobatics, but its speed began to fall when it entered the icy blast. The acrobatics couldn't land, Crobat had suffered too much of a speed loss.

"Finish it with Blizzard!" she screamed.

Using what moisture was left, Glalie created a powerful blizzard that toppled Crobat from the air, freezing it, and making it land on the ground. Crobat had fainted. One to go. She and Archie looked each other in the eyes, both having a similar, beastly smile on their faces. Archie was enjoying this.

Glalie returned to its Pokeball, along with the fainted Crobat. For her last Pokémon, it was going to be a battle of water against water, her Swampert against Archie's Sharpedo. When Sharpedo was whipped into action, it bore its teeth, having the battle ferocity of a raging Salamence. Swampert was let out, its confidence radiating off of it and its cries.

"I was waiting for the big guy to show his face." Archie's smile grew.

"The feeling's mutual." Noel smiled.

Archie raised the golden anchor around his neck. Activating the Key Stone in the center sent a transformation through his Sharpedo, it increasing in speed and power. Its teeth got sharper and it grew spikes from its already rough skin. It cried out loudly, Archie roaring with it. He stood cockily, laughing all the way. Noel gulped and raised her hand to her sternum. She and Swampert made eye-contact, the both of them nodding. She pressed the Key Stone into her chest, activating the Mega Evolution within her Swampert. It didn't hurt her.

"In Arceus' name…" Archie spoke, bewildered. "The scamp can mega evolve. But where's…?"

Swampert grew in muscle mass, looking more ripped than Matt could ever strive to be. Its defense rose and its cry grew deeper, roaring into the air as the ground seemed to shake. The fins on its cheeks also grew in size, creating an intimidating look that made it look like it was constantly scowling.

"This is gonna be rough… Earthquake!" she ordered.

Gripping the ground, Swampert created an Earthquake only around the arena, careful not to hit those in the stands. Archie definitely felt it though, struggling for balance with that twisted grin still on his face. Sharpedo was affected in the sense that it couldn't keep its kilter while in air, causing it to fall momentarily.

"Get up, Sharpedo! Use Aqua Jet!"

Sharpedo rose and sped forward with its self-generated water, making contact with Swampert's face cleanly, making it stagger backward.

"Grab it! I know it has Rough Skin, but grab it!" Noel ordered.

Swampert did what it was told, holding the Sharpedo firmly in its hands. The Sharpedo attempted to wriggle free.

"Quick, Crunch it!" Archie ordered.

Though it did use Crunch, Swampert did not flinch.

"Use Muddy Water!" she shouted.

"What's that going to…" Archie wondered aloud.

Creating a roaring, muddy wave of water, Swampert propelled itself forward with it, pushing Sharpedo into the ground and dragging it along. The muddy water would decrease the Sharpedo's accuracy wonderfully. When the wave vanished, Sharpedo rose again and sped forward.

"Water Pledge!" she screamed.

The water stopped Sharpedo right in its tracks, causing a sort of stalemate.

"You can do it, Noel!" she heard Krys scream from the bleachers.

In that instant, during that stalemate, there was a fiery explosion near the entrance of the dome, sending those in the bleachers into a panic.

"What's going on?!" Archie shouted.

Team Magma grunts exploded from the entrance, fire spreading throughout the arena.

"Swampert, use Surf! Get those fires out!"

This was no longer a battle for an admin position, this had become a battle of defense and rescue. Magma grunts and Aqua grunts pitted against each other like they had on Mt. Chimney, only this time there was more screaming from Aqua's side.

"Are we…outnumbered?!" Noel stood, shocked, as she and Swampert put out fires.

Sharpedo raced past her with its Aqua Jet and toppled over a gang of Magma members. Archie raced by as well, shouting something. Noel couldn't tell what it was, but she had gotten those fires out. There were Aqua members on the floor, wounded from the blast. She helped them up and moved them to safety, away from the commotion. One of them was JJ.

"JJ, hey are you alright?" she asked, snapping her fingers. There was a blood smear on his back.

"Yea…yea I just…let me help." he tried standing.

"No! Sit your ass down until this is over!" she told him, Swampert setting him against the wall.

When those who were injured from the blast were put to safety, Noel turned her attention back to the attackers. She heard the cries of Pokémon on both sides, having Swampert use Surf now and again to separate large gaggles of Magma away from the struggling Aqua. She was taken aback when she saw who was standing near the entrance. Maxie.

"Maxie…" she growled, anger fueling her.

She ran forward and had Swampert use Surf once again, attempting to flood out those who were trying to push Aqua back. She could see Krys in her peripheral vision fighting off some Magma grunt, Krys clearly winning. Water pooled around the floor, confusion everywhere as the battles spread out onto the battle floor. Maxie seemed impatient, speaking aloud for all to hear.

"Where is Tabitha?" he spoke calmly, though clearly impatient.

Matt spoke. "We aren't telling you. Back off before we drown you all!"

Archie ran forward from a gaggle of battles. "Maxie! I woulda figured this was all you!"

"I. Want. Tabitha." Maxie rubbed his temples.

"You aren't getting him!" Noel stepped forward.

Maxie made eye contact with her, clearly now getting angry as his voice rose. "YOU IMPUDENT GIRL." he stomped forward, a vein pulsing from his forehead. "TELL ME WHERE TABITHA AND THE STONE ARE, RIGHT THIS INSTANT."

She spoke defiantly. "You're not taking anything! If you want to take down this team, or take our research, you'll have to pry if from MY COLD. DEAD. HANDS!" she stepped forward, pounding her chest with her fist.

He stood still, frowning, but then his face turned into an evil grin.

"That can be very much arranged." he un-holstered a gun and aimed.

"NOEL, NO!" Archie screamed.

The world went in slow motion for Noel in these few seconds, the bullet exploding from the barrel, making a bee-line for Noel's chest. He was going to destroy her and her key stone in one shot. Hearing a high-pitched screaming, a body jumped right in front of Noel, shielding her from the impact. Her eyes widened, her face grew paler, and she gazed on that chestnut hair she cared about so much fly in front of her face. The body landed in a bloody pile, only screams emanating from Noel's mouth. Krys lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, eyes wide and afraid, blood dribbling out of her mouth. Noel dropped to her knees and screamed.

"We've found Tabitha!" a girl with purple hair shouted. "Roll out!"

Magma retreated, Aqua giving chase, not fully aware of what just happened, plenty of the grunts screaming "protect the Latiasite!".

Krys was having trouble breathing, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP US!" Noel screamed at the top of her lungs.

Shelly could be heard running up behind her, along with other screaming voices, but Noel didn't hear it. She ripped her Aqua bandana off of her scalp and used it to sop up the blood oozing from Krys' chest. She held her friend's head up with her hands and arms, not caring if blood got on her as well.

"Krys, Krys, you need to hold on, okay? Okay? Krys, can you hear me? KRYS!"

Krys was shaking and coughing. "N..N..Noel…it hurts… Help me..."

"I know, I know, we're going to help you, okay? Just hang on, keep breathing for me! KEEP BREATHING FOR ME!"

Krys gripped Noel's shirt, nearly ripping it. She stared into Noel's eyes.

"Noel…am I…?" she couldn't finish.

"Krys, just hang on!"

"Get that…damn light…out of my face…" Krys whispered, smiling blankly.

"Krys?! KRYS?!" Noel screamed.

Krys had stopped breathing, her hand dropping from Noel's shirt and onto the floor like a ragdoll's. Her smile remained, but her emerald eyes sparkled no more.

"KRYS!" Noel sobbed. "KRYS!"

She hunched over and sobbed into her friend's body, begging and praying for a wisp of air to let her breathe again, but Noel knew it wasn't going to happen. Her body shuddered as she sobbed, feeling powerless as she had no way of bringing her dear friend back. She wailed at the top of her lungs with her head tilted back, as if she were screaming at heaven not to take her. Blood had seeped into her own clothes, her tears dampening her friend's, mixing with the blood that tainted her. All around her she heard voices urging her to stand back, but she was numb, she couldn't hear any of them properly. She couldn't move, she wouldn't move. She felt Archie's powerful hands grip her upper arms and pull her, but not before Shelly took Krys' body from her hands and lowered her gently onto the floor. Archie yanked her away. She could hear him talking loudly to her, but she wasn't physically able to make out what he was saying. She was crying too hard. She wasn't slapped back to her senses, she wasn't forced to stop crying, she was turned around, away from the horrible tragedy, and taken into Archie's warm arms, which wrapped her in a powerful hug. She used this as an opportunity to sob into him, her body not having any other possible reaction. She shuddered and coughed as she cried, still talking some sort of incoherent gibberish. Archie rubbed her back and let her. Archie held her close. Archie knew she had watched her best friend die.


	6. Cascading Wave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter so far. 10,000 words. Yeet. B) But anyway, this chapter is interesting. *not wanting to say odd* I just hope you've been paying attention to subtle things, cause those things will explode eventually. This is a chapter where you need to pay attention to detail. Not my grammar mistakes, wrong details. Anyway, enjoy!

_"_ _I remember that it was after her father died. Noel was always a happy-go-lucky person, and when her father died, it sent a pulse through her that was never really shaken out. Demetrius and his daughter were unconditionally close, there was no separating them. The closeness they shared, even without Alice in their lives, was a beauty in itself. Noel received her Mudkip at the age of ten, like any other trainer, and she fell in love with it from the moment she saw it. Likewise, her father felt immeasurable happiness when he saw his daughter's smile. At sixteen, he rewarded her with a Key Stone on a silver clasp, held by a beautiful black necklace. She promised to always keep it close to her heart. At the age of eighteen, she beat her old man for the first time in the Pokémon League. That was before I rose to the platform of champion. When we were both 19, I defeated the champion and took over the position. She tried to defeat me, but she only tried once. She couldn't do it, and to this day I'm not quite sure why. Two weeks after that, Team Rocket stormed the island, asking for machine parts from the Space Center. Demetrius defended the island like a champion, but he was taken down like a dog in the backwoods. Noel saw the entire thing. Rocket had killed her mother, and now Rocket had killed her father. She was besides herself, as any daughter would be, but in that moment, when she made eye-contact with that man from Rocket…I saw her change. The Metagross I gave her chased them away, sadly with what they were demanding from the start, but there were still these unforeseen circumstances. She wouldn't eat or sleep for the week leading up to the funeral. At the funeral, she spoke her words with a sadness that you only hear of, not experience for yourself. I remember it was after the funeral when she did it. She had gone right home to their little house next to mine, all by herself. I went to check on her. I walked in when she was in the middle of the act. There was too much blood at first for me to recognize what she was doing, but when I saw the thread and needle, I was horrified. She was already halfway through the process of digging that stone into her chest, creating a crater of sorts for it to nestle in. I tried to force the needle and necklace away, but I realized it was no use. She kicked and screamed at me, crawling into the corner to sew and sew that stone until she knew it would remain cemented into her for all eternity. I knew there was no stopping her, so I could only hold her while she cried into my suit. I remember what she said to me._

_"_ _Now he'll remain close to my heart…He'll always be close to my heart…" she had told me._

_From that day, I knew Noel was a changed woman, but not for the better. She was strange and confused. I was actually astonished the day she came to me about applying for Professor Cosmo. In the back of my mind, I thought she was going to be okay. The realistic side of me told me, however, that if she ever experienced that pain again, she wouldn't be able to handle it. She'll implode, she'll self-destruct. She must never experience that kind of thing ever again._

 

 

Krys' funeral was three days later in Lilycove City, in a beautiful clearing of flowers. Krys' body was dressed up in a purple dress with an assortment of flowers that were grouped together and placed on her bosom. Her hair looked beautiful, though her face was too pale to reflect the light that once shined through it. All of the grunts were dressed up, grouped around the casket, all with their heads down. They had already said their words; they had already said their blessings. Shelly, Matt, and Archie stood closest to the casket, dressed formally. Noel stood next to Shelly in the front, even though she had requested to stand with the grunts. Archie was dressed in a suit, not a wetsuit, but an actual suit. His hair looked nice, it was clear he had bandana hair he needed to comb through, but none the less, it was nice. Noel hung her head low, trying not to cry again. In her hands was a necklace, the necklace that her beloved friend loaned her several days before. It was for Krys to keep. When the ceremony they held was over, Noel approached the casket and gently placed the necklace around Krys' neck. Looking at her friend resting peacefully, she heard the grunts all clear out. Only four of them remained. Noel felt tears dribble down her face. Shelly rubbed her back as if she was about to cry as well.

"Doesn't she look pretty?" Shelly asked.

Noel nodded.

She could hear Matt sigh. "Let's get the grunts back, Shelly."

Matt wasn't his usual enthusiastic self. He wore no war paint, he didn't boast Aqua pride, all he showed was honest guilt. Shelly nodded and left with him, leaving only Noel, Archie, and a dead body. Noel covered her mouth as if she was still in disbelief. Archie walked up next to her.

"I never wanted this to happen, scamp." he spoke. Noel wasn't sure if the comment was meant for her or Krys. "I just wanted to expand the seas…I never wanted to bury anybody in a pit…" he clearly sounded upset.

"This is my fault…" Noel whispered, more tears flowing out.

"Stop it."

She shook her head. "If I wouldn't have said anything…Maxie never would have…"

"He would have reacted irrationally either way. When Maxie loses his patience, you can't stop it very easily." Archie said.

"I should have been the one he shot instead…" Noel sniffled.

Archie turned her toward him by the shoulders. "Stop it."

She shook her head. "Krys shouldn't have—"

"You would have been the one killed, and then Krys would feel the same way you do now. You being killed wouldn't make it better for anybody." Archie told her, gripping her shoulders. "Too many people would miss you, Noel. More than you know."

Noel looked at him, wiping her face. "Like who?"

"I would."

Noel didn't say anything back to him. He gave her a hug.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

She nodded, sniffling. "I'll be okay."

 

 

_**A Few Days Later** _

Noel had the feeling in her gut that she was going to puke. Not from the death, not from the funeral, but from the blue envelope waiting on her bed a few days later when she returned from breakfast. She blinked several times, inspecting the envelope with all of her senses, even taste. Her name was written on the front in a lopsided handwriting, the sender obviously not capable of keeping a straight line on un-lined paper. She opened it carefully and read it over. She gasped and covered her mouth, nearly dropping the paper. She dashed out of the bunk room and sprinted down the hallway with a huge smile on her face. She bumped into several people on her way to the warp panels, sincerely apologizing as she ran past with a wave. JJ stopped her with his hand outstretched, bandages lining his back.

"Yo, Noel, where's the fire?" JJ smiled.

"I did it!" she shouted. "I got admin!"

"EHHH?" JJ's eyes widened. "YOU WHAT?!"

"See ya!" Noel dashed forward again, leaving JJ with his messy black hair in the dust.

She squealed as she neared the warp panel, jumping into it, the panel warping her in a jiffy, allowing her quick entrance to Archie's room. Archie was standing there all serious, but Noel skipped and jumped into the room, dancing circles around her leader. Archie soon lost the serious act and let out a sigh of relief.

"I see you're in a…better mood." he grinned.

"I did it? I did the thing? I was successful at the thing?" she clapped her hands.

"Sure did. I'm promoting you to adminship." he placed his hands on his hips.

"Oh my Arceus, this is happening." she paced in front of her leader. "I did something great; I'm a person worth this kind of thing!"

"You sound surprised."

"Well, to be honest, I am." she admitted. "Archie, we didn't finish our battle. We were at a stalemate, remember?"

"I'm well aware of that. But there's a specific reason why I wanted to pass you." he slapped her back. "Your passion for Pokémon battles is out of this world, scamp. Even though we were at that stalemate, the fire inside of you and your Swampert was real. You act fast in hard situations, and you care deeply for your teammates. That's all I ask for in an Aqua Admin." he smiled.

"I'm honored." her eyes sparkled.

"Well, when we're done here, Shelly designed your outfit all by herself. She told me you needed the 'ultra women's treatment'. Whatever the hell that means." he shrugged. "I just need to ask you something quick that's been picking at me since our battle."

"Of course." she nodded. "What's on your mind?"

"Where's your Key Stone?" he asked.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Excuse me?"

"Usually, key stones are pretty noticeable." he held up his anchor. "Maxie's is on his glasses and mine is on my anchor, they usually are out in plain sight. I don't see one on you anywhere, scamp."

She swallowed. "I have one. I just can't show you where it is."

"Why?" he asked, puzzled.

"I just…I just  _can't_ , okay?" she looked down.

"I don't understand why though. The only way you couldn't show me is if you like, swallowed it or something. Unless it's like, somewhere I  _shouldn't_  see." he laughed.

"YEP THAT'S IT I'M HIDING IT WHERE YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO SEE IT SO UNLESS YOU WANNA SEE ME NAKED I'LL SEE MYSELF OUT OKAY BYE."

Awkwardly she side-stepped into the warp panel in an awkward salute, her face fire red as she hoped Archie would stop looking at her with his surprised expression. When she left, Archie was just left standing there.

"I'm flattered, but I call severe bullshit on that." he scratched the back of his head.

 

She stepped out of the warp panel, only to step into the one on the far left, expression still embarrassed and her face still redder than a Corphish.

_I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST SAID THAT._

When she stepped through into Shelly's room, she had an outfit waiting on a hanger, just for Noel. She looked genuinely excited.

"Noel, you sunburnt or something? Get over here; I have your outfit all ready for you to try on!" Shelly pulled her over.

Noel could tell that Shelly made it because it somewhat matched hers. The wetsuit was a crop top fashion, similar to hers, only the gigantic Aqua symbol wasn't in the center. Instead, Aqua symbols were cut out on the shoulders. The pants were the same as Shelly's, but the waistband had an Aqua symbol protruding out of it. She had a golden rope as a belt, much like Matt's, and her golden chain went around her like a sash. Finally, Shelly presented her with Aqua barrettes, a pretty pearl white that would snap into place with her hair.

"You're keeping your hair down, right?" Shelly asked, hopeful.

Noel's heart hurt. "Yea…I'm keeping it down from now on…"

"I prefer it that way." Shelly smiled, putting the barrettes in Noel's hair for her. "So girlie, what did Archie say to you?" she gave Noel her new clothing.

"He just talked to me about how the reason he promoted me was because of my battling and quick decisions." she smiled.

"When you're not on any missions, you'll still be a scientist. Is that okay?"

"Of course. I can't leave them hanging." Noel smiled.

"Good. Because our next mission is going to be data heavy, as well as being research heavy. After you change, I'd like you to talk with Hyde about what we're interested in uncovering."

"No problem." she looked at Shelly. "Can you turn around while I change? I'm sorry, I'm self-conscious."

Shelly put her hands up. "Girl code." she turned around. "I understand."

Noel got changed quickly, as if she was expecting somebody else to walk in on her. The clothes were comfortable and fit nicely. Noel had gotten used to the crop top feeling, but there were slits in her pants that'd she have to get used to. There was a rush inside of her as she donned her Admin outfit for the first time; a feeling of strength. Shelly smiled as she turned back around.

"I'm so proud of you…becoming an admin… I thought you were just some squirt washed up on a beach…but hey, we sure whipped you into shape, huh?"

"You sure did." Noel looked down at herself. "Thank you for the outfit. I'm going to go check with Hyde now." she turned to the warp panel.

"You know, Noel… If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

Noel paused before stepping onto the warp panel. "…Yea. Thanks."

She stepped through the warp panel, forcing herself not to become emotional. She briskly headed for the science labs to do some research and finally get on the inside of the Aqua Agenda. Hyde greeted her with a smile.

"Noel, it's a pleasure to see you back here." Hyde shook her hand. "Congratulations on your promotion, we watched the battle commence from here on the television. Wonderful battle."

"Thank you." her smile shrunk. "I'm here to do some research."

"Shelly has informed us, and now that you are an admin, you are capable of studying what we have learned and what we will hopefully learn." he walked to a section of the labs with filing cabinets. "Come."

Noel followed him, feeling like she was in some kind of secret club or something. He handed her a few files that seemed secretive. She and Hyde sat down at a table, taking out the papers one by one to talk about them. She was surprised from what she saw on the papers. There were images of spheres and Pokémon, along with foreign symbols she had never truly seen before. She read the scribble on the page, some pf which looked like Archie's handwriting, but it seemed to dilute into Hyde's handwriting halfway through the paragraph. She furrowed her eyebrows while trying to read what they had written down.

"Archie is interested with the concept of the Mega Evolution, or perhaps even greater terms, of Kyogre, the legendary Pokémon of the seas." Hyde explained. "From the Latiasite you and Matt recovered, we were able to detect a similar pattern found in the meteorite from Meteor Falls. And even further, from that data, we were able to come to the conclusion that a similar process would occur within Kyogre. Do you know what I'm referring to?"

The stories Steven and Demetrius had told her as she grew up were beginning to come back to her. Tales of how the world was covered in rainwater and flooded the earth, only being stopped by another legendary Pokémon from the sky. The term they had always used was Primal, bringing Kyogre back to a form of power that could only be dignified as almighty.

"I understand what you're referring to." Noel nodded.

"Great. So, are you also familiar with how the powers are granted to Kyogre?"

Noel shook her head.

"From what we've uncovered from the lore, the Blue Orb is said to grant Kyogre the power of its 'Mega' state. The orb is said to be found on the peak of Mt. Pyre. From the scans of the Latiasite, we are able to dignify the same sequence occurs within the orb when activated around Kyogre, thus reverting it to that state. Does this all make sense?"

"The Blue Orb will grant Kyogre powers similar to Mega Evolution." she said.

"In a nutshell, yes." Hyde nodded, shuffling through papers. "But because we don't have any concrete weather data, we cannot predict the 'unsound' weather environments that may come from this. We don't have the proper weather data, only cave drawings and cave writings from Granite Cave."

"I understand." she stood up. "And I'm assuming everyone else is up to speed on this as well?"

"Yes. I would go to them when ready to form a game plan, Noel." he rose as well. "The Weather Institution near Fortree City seems like a sound target."

"Alright." she nodded.

As she started to walk away, Hyde grabbed her arm.

"Are you fully aware of Archie's dream?" Hyde asked.

"To expand the seas using Kyogre." she nodded. "I understand now."

"And are you willing to follow these ideals despite the consequences?" Hyde looked her in the eyes.

"I'm willing to follow Archie no matter what happens."

Hyde nodded and let her go. "Report to me what you find."

"Aye." she nodded and walked away.

Hyde sighed as she walked away, looking through his clipboard. "Poor child."

 

 

Noel walked through the halls, thinking about what she and Hyde had just discussed. Now that she was up to speed, she felt more empowered. She wanted to help Archie achieve his dream, his dream of expanding the seas. Using Kyogre to reach this dream was the only solution, it seemed. Krys had told her on her first day that she didn't want to ask what the true motive for these ambitions were, and that she was fine living without knowing. She just wanted to do her job and do it right. Noel was going to do the same. Having made up her mind, she walked straight to Archie's warp panel, seeing Matt ready to step in as well.

"Hey, Noel!" he greeted.

She was once again terrified of the possibility of having her back slapped and was rather relieved when it wasn't.

"So, you've been put up to speed, huh?" he asked.

"Yes. And I'm ready to rumble with some weather." she smiled.

"Good to hear it. Let's go in." he let her go first.

_Krys, I know you had the resolve to follow Archie._

Matt stepped on with her.

_I have enough resolve for the both of us now._

Archie and Shelly were waiting for them, Archie grinning that shark grin of his.

_I will follow Archie no matter what happens._

"Lookin' good, Noel. Good to see you in your admin gear. Looks to me like you're ready to go." he crossed his arms.

"So you're up to speed?" Shelly asked.

"I am."

"Great!" Archie clapped. "Let's start our plan of attack, here. As you all know, we need the final weather information about Kyogre and the Blue Orb, therefore, we will split up into two teams. Noel, since this is your first mission as an admin, I'd like you to go with Shelly. Matt, you go with me to Mt. Pyre so we can secure the orb. Shelly and Noel, I want you to decide who's going with you on this mission. For you, this is a search and retrieval. Once you retrieve the necessary information, I want one of you to meet me at Mt. Pyre. Understand?" Archie explained with a series of hand motions.

"Aye aye." Noel nodded.

"Sure thing, bro!" Matt pounded his chest.

Shelly nodded in understanding.

"Remember to radio me if anything happens." he looked at the three of them in all seriousness. "Let's roll."

The three admins headed for the warp panel, Noel being the shortest by only two inches, and proceeded through the hallways of the base while Archie voiced over the intercom. He explained the situation the same way he had to the three of them. Matt branched off into another hallway while the two women walked toward the Squad Stations.

"Any Squad in mind, Noel?" Shelly asked.

"I'm not as informed as you are on their skillsets. You do the picking." Noel said, looking around as the grunts listened. "I do have a question though. One I should have asked earlier."

"I already know. That's what Archie and I were talking about before you came in." Shelly informed, surprising Noel. "Go and do it. I'll wrap up the grunts and meet you there when we need to roll out to the Institution."

They stopped. "Are you sure, Shelly?"

"Noel, it would mean the world to her." Shelly patted Noel's shoulder. "Go on and do it before I kick your ass into doing it."

Smiling and nodding, Noel ran away from Shelly, making a straight shot for the bunk rooms. Under Krys' old bunk was her knap-sack, untouched and undisturbed since the incident. With it, Noel grabbed the folded grunt uniform on Krys' pillow and settled it all into her arms. On top of her pile was a small photo strip containing photos of her and Krys inside of a photo booth. Luckily, they had each gotten their own copy. Bundling all these items together, she left the base and let Swellow out of its Pokeball.

"Swellow, take me to Oldale Town as fast as you can." Noel climbed on.

Nodding, Swellow didn't hesitate when flying into the sky. They took a shortcut over the sea to get there the fastest, needing to pass over Mt. Pyre in the process. Because of how close the base was to Mt. Pyre, it wouldn't take Archie and Matt very long to get there. Thoughts raced through her head as her Pokémon raced through the sky, content with the speed they were currently flying. Swellow hadn't been out in a while, and now that Noel was once again a lone rider, there was no need for Salamence to fly. She held onto Krys' belongings tight as Swellow sped up over Petalburg City, readying itself to descent over Oldale. Oldale was always tiny. It was a peaceful town where nothing ever happened. The only thing that ever happened in Oldale was the occasional time Steven did a tour of the region, meeting and greeting with those someday wishing to challenge him. Other than that, it was a beautiful, quiet place. When Swellow landed, it was returned to its Pokeball. The wind was blowing slightly, creating a beautiful and gentle breeze that allowed the perfect weather conditions for drying laundry. Laundry was actually the exact thing Noel was looking for. Scanning the small acreage of the town, she quickly was able to spot a clothesline holding an assortment of clothing waving in the breeze. The woman hanging up the clothing appeared to be late forties to her early fifties, dressed in a pink blouse and jeans, hair in a purple barrette and down to her dorsal, just like Krys'. With a sunken heart, Noel walked forward to the woman.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Noel called out, nearing her. "Are you perhaps the mother of Krys Matoi?"

The woman turned around, rather surprised. Her face was covered in freckles, and her eyes radiated the same shine of emerald. There was no mistaking her.

"Yes, yes I am." she smiled. "Oh, you're one of those Aqua people." she set some folded laundry in a basket. "What brings you here?"

Noel presented the bundled assortment of objects in her hands to Mrs. Matoi, eyes sunken and defeated.

"What…what is this?" she asked.

Noel explained what happened that afternoon during the invasion of Team Magma. She explained how Krys saved her life. She explained how she was an inspiration to the grunts around her as well as the Pokémon she trained. Noel felt tears run down her cheeks as she apologized for being in such a position. Noel apologized for the death of her best friend, and for the death of a wonderful woman's daughter. Mrs. Matoi took the items in her fragile hands, bursting into tears while clutching the belongings close to her chest. Noel wasn't sure what to do at this point except for look at the woman who stood in front of her, sad and defeated. Noel was surprised when Mrs. Matoi fell to the ground on her knees, doing the same exact thing she had done. Noel needed to look away. It was horrible. Eventually, when it seemed like Mrs. Matoi's strength had returned to her, she weakly rose to her feet.

"Are you…"she hiccupped. "Are you that nice girl…who she wrote about…? Are you her bunkmate…?"

Noel nodded. "I am…yes…"

"Thank you…" she looked up at Noel with sad eyes. "Thank you for being a true friend to my little girl…"

"Your daughter was the truest friend to me in my time of crisis…and I will never forget that. Being crude to your daughter would have made me a terrible excuse for a human being…" Noel closed her eyes and started to cry. "I'm sorry she needed to lose her life instead of me…I'm sorry I wasn't the one that was shot instead…" she leaned forward slightly in a bow. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Matoi!"

Mrs. Matoi wiped the tears from her own eyes before placing her hand on Noel's shoulder. Noel opened her eyes and saw her tears plop into the grass.

"Darling, you have nothing to be sorry for… You did your job as a friend…as a human being… You brought her home to me in this bundle. You kept her from dying scared and afraid…" she wiped Noel's tears for her. "She wasn't afraid because you were the last soul she looked at."

Noel stood back up to see Mrs. Matoi with a small smile on her face, one that held sincerity and a sort of release.

"I would like to give you something that I think Krys would want you to have anyway. Hold on tight, sweetie." Mrs. Matoi disappeared inside the house.

Noel wiped her face on her bare arm and tried getting herself together. She only hoped she didn't look like a mess. When Mrs. Matoi reemerged from the house, the bundle was gone, but two golden earrings were its replacement. The one was a long golden chain that would dangle to just over the shoulder. The other one was the same style, only it broke into a crescent shape in the middle, after that the chain continuing. Within the crescent was a small clasp, looking as if it was meant to hold a stone. When Mrs. Matoi presented these earrings to her, Noel placed her hand over her heart, where her own stone jutted out of her chest.

"They were hers. She wore them all the time…but I believe she would like you to have them."

"Are you sure, ma'am…?" Noel accepted them despite her words.

The woman nodded. "Please."

Noel could hear footsteps run into town from behind her. She knew it must have been time to leave. Noel put them in her ears, feeling a warm radiance flow through her body. Mrs. Matoi smiled again.

"Stop hating yourself…you are a magnificent young woman." she looked behind Noel. "Important as well."

When Noel turned around, she saw Shelly standing there. She looked eager to leave.

"Noel. Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes."

Mrs. Matoi's eyes widened. "N…Noel?"

Noel turned her head and smiled at the woman. "Thank you, Mrs. Matoi. For showing me something I couldn't see." she winked. "I was never here."

Mrs. Matoi began tearing up again. Noel couldn't fathom why, but she could merely speculate. Noel walked away with Shelly, having no more words to say to Krys' grieving mother. In reality, Noel couldn't bear to face any more tears.

"How did it go?" Shelly asked.

"I needed to tell a woman that her daughter was killed instead of me. How would you feel?" Noel asked in return.

Swellow was let out of its ball once again. Noel climbed aboard, Shelly and her selected grunts watching.

"Let's get to the weather institute." Noel ordered, a different resolve in her voice. "We have a job to do."

Noel's Swellow took off into the air, the grunts and Shelly on their buggies below her. They traveled at an equal pace so they would get to the weather institute as a team. Noel felt something bubble inside of her.

_"_ _Stop hating yourself. You're a magnificent young woman."_ Mrs. Matoi had told her.

"Swellow, I'm not sure how I should feel right now." Noel said as they flew.

"Swah?" it replied.

"I still feel guilty, but I know I shouldn't." she sighed. "I know exactly what father would say too." she smiled.

Swellow looked up.

"Noel, you think too much." she crudely imitated his deep voice. "For Arceus sake, you need to get your head out of the sand and come to your senses."

Swellow seemed to laugh.

"So you agree with him, huh? You think I'm over-thinking?"

Swellow nodded.

"Then I guess I am." she patted Swellow's head.

As they flew, storm clouds slowly began to brew over them. Swellow flew lower so she and Shelly could communicate.

"How are we doing on time?" Shelly asked.

"From my view, we should be there in thirty minutes. If we hike up the speed, we'll get there in twenty."

"YOU HEARD THE WOMAN, GRUNTS! CRAAAAANK IIIIIIT!"

Noel flew back up in altitude and ordered Swellow to go faster. The two transports were flying at equal speeds, the buggies below them spewing dirt behind as they sped along the routes. The rain began to fall when they were well into Route 118, signaling they must have been close. When it began to thunder, Swellow flew lower. They were nearing the institute, seeing the building just over the cliff, after a few bridges. Shelly gave her a thumbs up, signaling she wanted to go faster. Noel nodded. They both picked up speed once again, Noel taking the initiative to take a short-cut over the water to the institute to await their arrival. Swellow needed to get out of the air so they weren't struck by lightning. She saw the entrance to the weather institute, heading straight for it. Swellow landed, plenty ready to go back inside its Pokeball. When it returned, the buggies made their appearance, startling those training on the cliffs. When the buggies stopped, they were parked on the side of the building, grunts hopping out and assembling themselves. Shelly decided on three that would remain outside to block those entering or leaving the institute.

"If that trainer shows up, radio us. Don't try to take her out. Leave that up to us." Shelly commanded.

"Aye aye!" the grunts hollered.

Noel, Shelly, and the remaining grunts headed inside the building. The receptionist was startled when Shelly slammed her hand on the desk and ordered for immediate shut-down. Noel looked around her, seeing scientists and workers stand from their stations and quake with fear. Nodding at the grunts, she walked into the main room and ordered everyone to go upstairs, getting Glalie out for intimidation purposes.

"YOU HEARD ME! EVERYONE UPSTAIRS, PLEASE!" Noel demanded very politely.

The workers and scientists scurried upstairs, grunts taking their positions of holding the fort. In one room, there was a little boy sleeping in a bed. Noel pulled a grunt aside.

"When that little boy wakes up, just let him know we're not hurting anyone. We just came for a meeting, so don't be alarmed." she ordered.

The grunt nodded. Shelly walked up next to Noel. She whistled.

"Way to clear out a room, Noel. C'mon, let's get upstairs." she walked to the staircase.

As the grunts pushed ahead to take their positions, the two admins noticed some quarreling. Who seemed to be the head of the institute was arguing with a grunt. The man was in his early sixties, wearing a hat and leaning on a cane. Scientists huddled behind him as they saw the two of them approach.

"Oh come now, Glalie isn't that scary." Noel smiled.

"You…you crooks! What are you doing here?!" the man shouted.

"We're simply here for some answers." Shelly responded, blocking off the entranceway to the man's office. "Noel and I wanna know about some things regarding Primal Kyogre, and I  _know_  you've done a lot of work here with that."

"Primal Reversion?" the man answered. "Why would crooks like you want to know about that?"

"Sea expansion of course." Noel smiled and stepped forward. "We just need to know the effects the Blue Orb will have on Kyogre, and what possibly could come from that. When we get that information, we'll get out of your hair as quick as we came." a twinkle in her eye seemed to scare him.

"Well…fine." the man stepped back.

"But sir! Our research—"

"Will be in good hands." Noel finished.

The man cleared his throat. "Well…realistically speaking, if the Blue Orb were to find itself awakening Kyogre, a torrential downpour would cover the land. Seas would expand, covering the land in great amounts of water, flooding the land and flooding out the people who lived there. The rain would never stop. When in Primal Reversion, the rain would continue eternally, or until the beast commanded it to stop. The beast would revert the world to a sphere of only water, wiping out whatever lived."

Shelly's eyes widened while Noel's smile twitched.

"If this happened all over the world, what would happen to Pokémon and the people?" Shelly asked.

"Eventually, they would cease to exist." the man answered.

"What?!" Shelly exclaimed.

"The world will be covered in water." the man finished.

"Archie's dream…could this really be…his dream…" Shelly stood back in bewilderment.

"Thank you for answering our question." Noel stuck her hand out. "I'd like the official wavelengths. I want the sequences and numbers you've come up with, along with the charts and graphs."

"But…but we answered you!" the man retorted. "You said you'd leave!"

"Our dream will be fulfilled by this information."

"Fulfilled?!" Shelly sounded shocked. "Noel, did you hear what he just said?! The rain will—"

"I heard what he said. It's merely an exaggeration. Hyde and the others will find out what will truly happen when we awake Kyogre."

_"_ _Kzzt! Grunt 2 to admins. We've spotted the female trainer, she is currently headed into the building. Repeat. The female trainer is inside the building."_

Shelly answered the call. "Copy that."

Noel looked at Shelly. "Don't worry about it, Shelly. It'll all be fine. Don't you believe in Archie?"

Grunts' shouting could be heard at the bottom of the stairs.

Shelly saw the trainer first. "Noel, keep an eye on the scientists. If I fail, you can defeat her, right?"

"Yea. Good luck, Shelly."

Noel kept her back turned to watch the scientists. They were still frightened, but they also held their ground on the information. They refused to hand it over to her. As Shelly spoke to the trainer, Noel listened to what she said. Her heart sped, sure of her decisions and her choices.

"Young lady…" the man said as Shelly and May's battle commenced. "I recognize you…"

Noel looked down and smiled.

"You're…you're alive…" there seemed to be hope in his voice. "But why? Why join a band of criminals like Team Aqua?"

"It's a long story…but these people saved my life. They aren't criminals." she spoke honestly. "I'm indebted to the friends they gave me, to the connections I've made, and to my wonderful leader. I'll follow them no matter what it takes."

The men were silent for a few moments, some watching Shelly's battle and others watching their boss lean on his cane.

"Your father would be disappointed in you." the man looked at her dead in the eyes.

Eyes widening, Noel's smile turned into a sickened frown, eyes flashing with anger. Her hands curled into fists. Shelly spoke in her defeat, but Noel didn't take concern to that right now.

_"_ _How dare you."_ she hissed.

"Noel?" Shelly asked, touching her shoulder. "You're up."

She turned slowly, anger staying on her face and in her eyes. As much as she wanted to swat Shelly's hand off of her, she didn't want to be rude. She stepped toward the trainer with a sickening look on her face. May stepped back in horror, as if she had just seen a ghost.

"You're…" May was horrified.

"Noel Wilson? The dead girl? Is that what you were going to say?" She took another step forward, rage boiling.

May brought out her Blaziken and got into battle stance.

"How cute. Your Combusken evolved and it thinks you two can win." she smiled.

Glalie floated up to her, growling and itching to fight.

"Glalie, honey, you won't be okay…you'll melt…" she returned it to its ball. "Swampert." she brought it out.

Swampert turned to its trainer, clearly concerned for its friend. Noel noticed this.

"It's okay. Surf."

Swampert constructed its wave of water, startling the scientists behind them, and slammed the Blaziken with it. They were in a small space, so water fell onto tables. Swampert recycled its water in battle, so nothing got drenched that couldn't be dried immediately. Blaziken used Sky Uppercut, dazing Swampert, but Swampert shook it off before it could land another. May called out for Blaziken to perform a Drill Peck, but Swampert evaded it, backing up as Blaziken struggled to land its attacks.

_How dare you use a fire type against me._ Noel thought.

"Noel, can you hold her off? I have the data!" Shelly shouted.

"I can handle her!" she smiled and nodded. "Get everyone outta the building! I'll meet you back outside!"

Shelly ran past the battle scene, grunts following her out. Noel backed up, Swampert watching the fire type's movements.

"Water Pledge!" Noel shouted.

May could only watch as Blaziken was hit with a blast of water. Though Blaziken endured the hit, Swampert seemed to urge it to stay down. Noel turned to the man with the cane.

"You have no right to speak to me about my father." she spat at his face. "You didn't know him. You weren't raised by him. He didn't get murdered in front of your eyes. Speak to me like that about him again and you'll regret it. I'm not a vengeful woman, but my father was the best person in my life. How fucking dare you." she turned back to May.

Swampert allowed Blaziken to stand. May didn't attack, brows merely furrowed while staring at Noel.

"When Team Aqua's and Archie's ambitions have been realized, the world will return to its beginnings, a land where Pokémon and people can live together in harmony. I can't wait to see the sun set over that vast sea. I want to see our vision…his vision…realized."

Having nothing else to say, Noel and Swampert ran out of the building to meet with Shelly and the grunts. The rain was pouring down hard.

"Will she follow us?" Shelly asked.

"The man won't be silent about that we want the Blue Orb. She'll probably follow us to Mt. Pyre." Noel predicted.

"We?! Noel, the both of us need to get back to Hyde and relay this information." Shelly argued. "Grunts, get in the buggies!"

"Archie needs backup at Mt. Pyre. I'm going." she let Swellow out of its ball, all of her other Pokémon safe inside of their dry homes.

"Noel, would you stop and think about this?! You heard what that man said! Kyogre is going to drown all of civilization!" Shelly seemed to plead with her. "Noel, please! I know you wouldn't want any of that!"

"You're overreacting, Shelly. Archie understands what's going on, he never would have created this dream if he didn't know what the real results would be." she climbed aboard Swellow.

"Yes, but I've known Archie for twelve years now and I know that he becomes obsessed until he's proven wrong. Noel, I have a bad feeling—"

"THEN HAVE THAT BAD FEELING!" Noel shouted.

Shelly stepped back in surprise.

"I'm going to Mt. Pyre. You do you, but I'm following Archie."

Swellow flew into the air with a powerful flap of its wings. Though the thunder and lightning were intimidating, Noel's drive flowed into her Pokémon like it was a leech. Swellow looked up in concern, but Noel was still simmering with emotion.

"I won't stray from my path. I finally found a goal…I'm going to achieve it. Nothing's going to get in my way…" she seemed to be trying to calm herself down. "Deep breaths, Noel…" she took a deep breath, bellowing out a gust of air from her mouth.

"Swuh."

"I'm sorry you've seen me upset, Swellow. I just want to do the right thing." she sighed. "But I suppose…I guess I am. It's the right thing if I believe in myself, right?"

Swellow chirped in approval, diving to gain speed and lessen altitude.

"Sorry, you're my therapist today." Noel smiled. "Let's take a right turn here, I see the water route to the base of the mountain."

Swellow nodded. As they left the grassy, wooded areas around Fortree City, the clouds began to lessen and drift away, the rain slowing to a drizzle. They saw two Sharpedos and some rafts dock at the grassy patches at the base of the mountain. Matt and Archie. Matt pointed up, Archie following his finger. When Noel waved, he let loose a wide grin. She landed, patting Swellow on the head.

"Scamp! I'm glad to see you!" he slapped her back.

"Did Shelly radio you?" Noel asked, returning Swellow.

"Actually, no. I got a little anxious, but I know your mission was a success, seeing you here."

"It was. Shelly took the data to Hyde, I came as you asked." Noel smiled.

"Any interruptions?" Archie asked.

"That female trainer showed up." Noel reported. "She came to aid the scientists who worked there. However, I made quick work of her. I bought us time to grab the data and skedaddle."

"Nice work Noel." Archie waved for Matt and the grunts to begin entering Mt. Pyre. "If you need to step out at any time, let me know, okay?"

"Why?" Noel raised an eyebrow.

"Because this is a cemetery." he told her as they entered the mountain.

Noel blinked, looking above the entranceway to see a sign at the point of entry.

_"_ _Souls of the Departed Rest Here—Of Humans and Pokémon"_

Noel gulped, but took a step forward with her leader through the entranceway. She could do this.

"Do you think that kid's gonna follow us?" Matt asked, walking ahead.

"I assume so. However, she needs to make it to Fortree and cross two routes in that time. If she does that, then I say she will indeed make it here." Noel confirmed.

"Well, that's okay." Archie answered. "If she makes it here, she'll just see us take the orb. If Matt wants, he can battle her."

"AW MAN, BRO. BRO. CAN I? CAN I REALLY?" Matt turned excitedly around at Archie.

Archie smiled. "Yes, you can battle her."

"ALL RIGHT! SCORE!" Matt cheered.

While Matt and the grunts proceeded to the stairs, ascending the mountain, Archie paused at a few of the graves. Noel looked at him.

"I can't bear thinking about Pokémon dying." he sighed, looking at graves. "I can't bear it for even a minute."

Noel was silent, respecting Archie's words.

"I want to expand the sea for all sorts of reasons." walking over to another grave. "I want Pokémon and people alike to see a world where the sun glimmers off the waves. I want them to understand what the beauty of the sea is. Water is an element we can't live without; it supports us in so many ways. I understand land is needed for sustaining energy, buildings, and all that jazz." he sighed again. "But the sea…the sea can create so much opportunity."

"That's plenty enough reason to have the goal you do." Noel nodded. "My father always told me that if it felt right to me, there was nothing wrong with following my dreams. He told me to believe in myself." she looked at a grave as well.

"So you do?" he looked up. "You believe in yourself?"

"I do." she nodded. "And it's hard to say that lately." she closed her eyes. "But something in my heart is pushing me. I believe in myself."

"Then I guess we'll believe in each other." she heard Archie say. "I'll believe in you if you believe in me."

She looked up with her eyes open, and saw Archie standing with a triumphant smile on his face.

"Enough soul-searching." he walked to the stairs. "Let's get that orb."

The pair ascended the mountain through its labyrinth of staircases, escalating into room after room of graves and mourners. They pressed on, reaching the rest of the group that was singing pirate songs on the stairs, but they were quiet on the cemetery floors to show respect to those needing their silence. When the large group of them was alone on the stairs, they told stories, jokes, and really bad puns. Noel seemed to be on a roll when it came to bad jokes, but one Archie said took the cake.

"What did the pirate say when he turned 80?" Archie asked.

"What?" multiple asked him.

"Aye matey."

"AW COME ON MAN" was a phrase the majority of the crew shouted, some punching Archie's arms while he stood there with that shit-eating grin on his face, clearly proud of the joke he produced.

An open entranceway seemed to be filtering fog into this particular staircase, giving them the inkling that they were close to the outside. Matt continued to lead the way, still laughing from Archie's joke. The grunts discussed among themselves what was happening while Noel took the time to glance up the stairs further, not seeing any true form of light. An even simpler matter troubled her.

_What if that net thing didn't protrude off of Archie's waist? Like, how big IS the booty? Do he even GOT booty? Like, we talkin' gold doubloons here or just two pennies?_   _These are the important questions._

"What's a pirate's worst nightmare?" Noel asked.

"What?" some of the crew, including Archie, asked.

"A sunken chest with no booty."

Matt once again lost his shit from the front of the group.

"A SUNKEN…BWAHAHA!" he had to lean against the wall for support.

Noel shared the laughter of the crew until they reached that fog at the end of the staircase. When everyone emerged, there was still quite a bit of mountain to climb until the summit. Matt wiped a tear from his eye, took a deep breath, and pounded his chest. He commanded the grunts forward, leading them in case of any possible obstacles. Archie and Noel lagged behind to discuss the orb itself.

"The orb that we take today will be used to awake Kyogre from its slumber." Archie explained. "And will bring us one step closer to obtaining the perfect world."

"Is Team Magma after this orb as well?" Noel asked.

"No. Groudon, the legendary Pokémon of the land, can only be awakened with the red orb. Plus, Magma hasn't made it as far as we have. All they can do is try to stop us." he explained. "Therefore, we shouldn't run into any obstacles."

As they continued up the slopes of Mt. Pyre, the fog slowly began to disperse, leaving the clouds beneath them on lower levels. They must have been near the summit now, as the tombstones were relished in finer embellishments and looked more like royalty, that or Pokémon truly held sacred. The grunts had positioned themselves on the sides of the main path, nodding at the two admins as they passed by. Archie smiled as he saw the last slope, a staircase created in ancient stone that led to a pedestal holding the two orbs. Archie walked ahead of Noel, following his gaze up the staircase, Matt already waiting for him at the top. Noel followed suit, taking her place next to Matt as she watched her leader approach the pedestal. He smiled, ready to lay his hands on it.

"Hold on! Please wait!" they all heard an elderly woman's voice pierce the fog.

An elderly woman, followed by her husband, scurried up the path and climbed the stairs to where Archie was standing. The woman was incredibly short compared to Archie's towering height, but nonetheless she stood tall, even out of breath.

"Don't you understand what that orb does?" the woman asked.

"Ma'am, that's why we're taking it." Archie bent down to talk to her. "We know perfectly well about what it does."

"Honey!" she cried to her husband. "Is that kind trainer behind you or not?! Get your arse up here, man!" the woman shouted.

The man climbed the steps slowly. "If you truly know what this orb does, then why take it?"

"To achieve our ambitions." Archie replied. "Trainer?" he smiled. "I betcha we have company."

Archie was correct. Back down the path there seemed to be arguing and the cries of Pokémon. Noel furrowed her brows; that trainer was a fast one. Did May want to thwart their plans that badly? She and Matt exchanged glances, but did not act on their instincts. While the elderly couple and Archie bickered about taking the orb, Noel saw Archie rub his temples. He seemed to be very agitated, which wasn't the normal thing for him to do. Noel saw May appear in the corner of her eye. She knew a battle was coming.

"Never mind you, you old hags." Archie growled, picking the orb up in his hands.

The blue orb seemed to glow in the man's hands, sending an eerie feeling through those standing around him, as if they had been experiencing ghostly activity that made their hairs stand on end. Matt nudged Noel, motioning down to the bottom of the stairs. May was standing there with her fists clenched. Archie looked up from the orb and smiled.

"Yo." he turned around.

Matt and Noel turned with him, arms behind their backs, looking down the slope with their leader.

"I thought something was a bit noisy, and who is it but the usual kid!" he didn't sound happy, he sounded more serious. "Sorry kiddo, but I'm afraid I don't have time to play with you right now."

Archie looked at the orb again. "The blue orb that's long been enshrined here at Mt. Pyre…" he smiled. "…belongs to Team Aqua now!"

Archie glanced to Matt, and then to Noel.

"Ma-att!" Archie called.

"YES, BOSS?" Matt turned seriously, yet excitedly.

"Why don't you do a favor for our lively little friend here and keep her entertained? You'd better go full power too, so you don't offend our 'honored guest'."

Matt smiled almost sadistically. "Got it, boss."

Archie chuckled. "All we have to do now is get to the place where the great beast sleeps…" he looked May in the eye. "We're going to take that submarine in Slateport." Archie looked at Noel. "You're coming with me. Round up the grunts." he walked down the steps, Noel following in pursuit.

"LET'S GO, GRUNTS! WE'RE HEADED FOR SLATEPORT!" she shouted.

As the grunts saluted and scurried along, Archie gripped the blue orb tightly. Noel walked by his side and listened as Matt greeted his opponent as amped as ever. Noel and Archie followed the grunts back down the stretches of stairs and extensive cemetery rooms, every waking second becoming a booming heartbeat for Noel. She glanced at the orb and a chill shot through her, making her blood run cold. The symbol on the orb seemed to strike out of the gem itself, wanting to make contact with her. Though she kept walking as attentively as possible, she felt like she was in a trance. She was snapped to her senses when Archie stopped.

"Noel? Are you listening to me?"

She blinked. "W-what?"

"I asked if you were okay." he raised an eyebrow. "You've been looking at the orb the entire walk down. Like, I know the orb is pretty and all, but it was getting a little creepy."

"Yea, I'm fine. Totally. Peachy keen my pirate-man." she gave him a thumbs up.

"Right." he started walking again. "Anyway, can you take the orb back to the base while the grunts and I make haste to Slateport? I'd like you and Team Sassy Science to keep watch over this, maybe scan it over."

"Aye aye, captain." she nodded.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs and reached the exit, Archie handed over the orb to Noel. When the orb was in her hands, her heart hiccupped, almost like there was a phenomena occurring in her body. Her hands seemed to freeze while she held the orb.

Archie, without Noel seeing, raised his brows in concern and suspicion. He watched as Noel swallowed a lump in her throat and blinked. Maybe it was the excitement of seeing the orb? No. That wasn't it. Archie couldn't put his finger on it.

"If you need me, radio me, okay? Shelly should already…" he saw her shaking hands. "…be there… And Matt will return shortly. Just have a safe trip back, okay?"

Noel looked up at him and nodded. "I'll get this right back to the labs. If anything odd pops up, I'll be the first to tell you."

He breathed a sigh of relief, seeing whatever spell she was in had passed. He nodded, turning to the grunts and releasing his Sharpedo. As the grunts started their boats, the gaggle of them made their way along the sea to Slateport, eventually fading away in the distance. Noel took a deep breath, looking at the orb another time before releasing her Swampert, who once again looked at her with a deep concern.

"It's okay, it's just…an ancient gem… It's kind of surreal. You know?" she laughed it off. "Let's just get back to the base. I need to apologize to Shelly for yelling at her earlier."

Swampert jumped into the water, soaking its trainer with its large splash. Noel laughed, wiping her face with her elbow before carefully climbing onto her friend's back. She gripped the orb tightly like Archie had, being very careful not to drop it in the bobbing waves. Swampert swam forward at a neutral pace, listening while its trainer talked to it about the small things, like how bright the sun shined that day and how peacefully the Wingull flew. Her blood continued to run cold, despite the heat being radiated off of the sun's UV rays, the heat soaking into her skin but ebbing away just as quickly as it had come. It had been a long day. She hadn't had a sequence of missions like that since her first at Meteor Falls. She smiled as she remembered the waterfalls that cascaded down from the cliffs and rocky walls. Her brain desperately tried to stray away from who she was with, but resistance was futile. Those memories of riding with Krys on Salamence for the first time found their way into her direct path of thought, seeming to make her grip the orb tighter, which made it glow brighter. Swampert noticed this and attempted to snap her out of it by shaking its back.

"Huh? Swampert? What's wrong?"

It grunted at her, but she couldn't make out its emotion, which was odd. She apologized and patted its head. The cold feeling in her hands ebbed away, bringing warmth and feeling back to her fingers. Though she didn't fully recognize this event when it happened, her mood seemed to lighten as they neared Lilycove City.

"Look at all those people." she smiled. "I bet there's a wicked contest going on right now."

Swampert nodded, turning towards the familiar cave that held their base. Noel squinted as they left the bath of sunlight and entered the coolness of the cave, being greeted by the grunts that guarded the outside. When Swampert landed, it returned to its Pokeball so Noel could proceed into the base. When she entered, it was business as usual, making the usual trip to the science labs. The orb was still in her hands, but any shine to it had faded away. It looked like the ordinary gem from afar, even though all inside the base knew what she was carrying. When she entered the labs, Hyde met her with a cool smile.

"Noel, I see you're back!" he greeted. "And you brought the orb. Excellent. May I take it so we can scan it?"

She seemed almost hesitant at first to hand it over, but she did to her discomfort. When Hyde returned from the scanners without the orb, he set his clipboard down and crossed his arms, taking his reading glasses off first.

"Noel, to congratulate you on your successes, the science team has developed a new warp panel in the building just for you."

"Just for me?" her eyes twinkled.

"Yes. You're getting your own room."

"YES!" she fist bumped the air. "RAD! I GET MY OWN ROOM!" she 'woo-hooed' in victory. "SCORE!"

Hyde chuckled. "Yes, it's been organized in a fashion that should suit your liking. You may decorate it however you'd like, using the objects you have scavenged from your old life or from your new life here. Just consider it a final gift of making this your true home."

"Whose idea was this?" she asked.

"Well…mine."

She hugged him tightly. "Thank you, thank you!"

"It's-it's just a room—"

"Nuh-uh, it's  _way_  more than that. I get to personalize it in my own way. A room represents  _me_ and  _my_  life, it represents who I really am. It gives me my own slice of me. Me surrounded by me!" she explained excitedly.

"Well…" he hugged her back. "I'm glad I could provide you this service."

"Like I have my own bed? A table?" she asked, letting go of him.

"A bed, coffee table, book shelf, a desk with a laptop, a closet, and assorted chairs." he listed.

"Awesome." she smiled wider. "Thanks again, so much!"

He nodded. "When you'd like to see, it's the panel to the left of Archie's."

She nodded, skipping out of the labs while still cheering to herself. Hyde shook his head with a smile on his face and got back to work. Noel headed right for the warp panels, but before she could delightedly enter her new room, she needed to talk to Shelly. She stepped through Shelly's warp panel, hoping to find her there, but there was no sign of her. Bummed, she looked around Shelly's room, nothing seeming to be out of the ordinary except for the obsession with "Pokémon Life" magazines she seemed to have. From a notepad lying on a desk, Noel tore a piece of paper and borrowed a pen.

_"_ _Shelly-_

_I'm sorry I snapped at you at the Weather Institute back there. I was ticked about a comment the old weather fart said, it wasn't against you at all. I understand your qualms about all of this weather stuff, it's only the human thing to do. I'll make it up to you with ice cream or something, I promise! For now, please just know that I'm sorry._

_Sincerely, Noel_

"That oughta do the trick." she smiled.

When she left through the warp panel again, she needed to take a breath before entering her very own for the first time. When she stepped through, the familiar coding danced across her eyes, making her excited for the sight that would meet her when she stepped out. Finally the moment arrived where a different room, an unfamiliar room, met her gaze. She gasped when she saw the furniture laid out for her, some boxes that were half-shut placed in the center of the room. A bed was placed in the right hand corner of the room, similar to how Archie had his, and a closet was parallel to that. On the opposite side of the wall where the closet laid, there was a desk with a closed laptop, the Aqua Symbol being a sticker on the lid. The desk was barren, but soon it would be filled with what Noel wanted. A mirror hung above the desk. Noel already made faces in it. There was a rolling chair to go with the desk, to Noel's excitement. Then there was a table with chairs, set to eat at or to socialize at. It wasn't the biggest room in the world, but it was good enough for her. She wandered over to the boxes, opening one of them. The one she opened held all of the plushies and accessories she bought at the Lilycove Department Store, along with folded sets of clothing and some posters. The other box held the albums, pictures, and assorted items, including the flower crown that she took from her old home. She smiled sweetly at the crown, seeing how beautiful and pink the flowers were. Setting that gently on the floor, she took out the framed picture of her father next. It was good to see his face smiling in this picture. That black hair of his was short, not quite graying at the roots yet. He usually had a straight face, all serious because of his position in the Elite Four, but when he smiled it was like a new day, a morning sun rising. He did have wrinkles up at his eyebrows because he furrowed them so often, she always yelled at him for that. He was wearing a black shirt in the photo, he always loved the color black. He said it insinuated the eyes he had. Noel had her father's eyes, navy blue, like a darkened ocean. However, he did have a small scratch over the right one, creating a scar, but it was hardly noticeable if you were around him all the time. She stood up and brushed the frame off. He was the first thing she set on her new desk, always there to give her support. She smiled and got back to unpacking the box, sliding the photo albums she had under her bed like she had at home. She set up a little area for her Pokémon, setting up their food bowls and the toys they played with back at Mossdeep. The flower crown was placed on her headboard, perfectly sitting above her pillows. Hyde had supplied her with two pillows and a queen sized bed, thank Arceus. She was a mattress queen, each appendage scouring each corner. She laughed at herself as she moved the now empty box to the side. The first object she removed from the other box was the small assortment of photos of her and Krys from the photo booth in Lilycove. Her heart hurt as she taped them to the wall behind her laptop. Messing with the earrings Mrs. Matoi had given her, she knew that they would have looked beautiful on her friend. Going back to the box, she removed her Sableye plushie, placing it on the bed and arranging it nicely. The keychains she purchased were strapped to her backpack, which was also in the box, the bag being tossed into the closet. She hung up all of her clothes, surprised to see the clothing she borrowed from Krys being included as well. She hung up her posters that she purchased all around the room, one having a Swampert on it, another having a Seviper on it, and many others that matched her personality. The last item in the box was the assortment of undergarments, making Noel laugh out loud, nearly causing tears. She held up each bit one by one and put them in an arrangement of drawers supplied for her in the closet. With them was the famous Crobat underwear, along with a new addition.

"I can't believe I bought Sharpedo underwear." she laughed as she threw them in the drawers.

The boxes were tossed in the corner, ready to be thrown out. As she looked around her new room, she walked over to the desk to look at what she had. Not much, but it was quaint and comfortable. She looked up into the mirror, seeing the emotions flash across her eyes. When her eyes caught the space in her earring, the one that was meant for a stone, she felt her heart wrench inside her chest. Feeling the stone jab out of her own skin from beneath the cloth of her shirt.

"I'm going to keep you close, Krys…"


	7. Parting the Red Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to warn you all now that this chapter is graphic in terms of violence. There is a lot of blood involved. Also, not on the violence side, this chapter has romance in it. I get really into these chapters, so into them that I don't realize I wrote for 16 hours in one day. Whoops. Anyway, enjoy!

It was late at night now, almost midnight. The submarine was successfully docked into the base. While the nightly workers got to work on repairs and customization, Archie made his way out of the loading dock and back into the familiar hallways of the base. He let out a powerful yawn and scratched the scruff on his face, proud of what accomplishments Team Aqua had made that day. Ever since that morning, however, he hadn't heard much from Shelly. He eagerly waited to see what results the scientists had for him pertaining to the Blue Orb. As he reached the warp panels, he grinned when he saw the fourth and newest addition, which had to have been Noel's. Above each panel there was a spotlight, mostly for at night, shining on or off to show if the admin present was either asleep or active. Archie's was of course dark, and Shelly's was as well. However, Noel's was still on, though it was dimmed, showing she was busy with work. Puzzled, he looked at the clock.

"What the hell is she doin'?" he asked himself. "It's nearly midnight…should I check on her?"

He approached her warp panel and stopped, looking around.

"I'll at least shut her light off if she's asleep. She seems like the type to fall asleep while working…" he smiled.

He stepped through the warp panel. When he stepped into her room, the air felt tense and rigid. This spooked him. The only light coming from anywhere was the dim spotlight above the warp panel.

"Noel?" he asked, not seeing her anywhere at first.

When he walked into the room, away from the panel, his eyes widened. There were tracks of blood all over the floor.

"What the fuck?" he said aloud.

Heart picking up speed, he heard what seemed to be heavy breathing. As he followed the sound, he only found more blood on the floor. Looking down, sweat beaded on his forehead as he got even more terrified. Finally reaching her desk, he was horrified. There was blood everywhere, along with what looked like surgical tools. Hands shaking, he turned on a light, which was an even worse idea. All he saw was Noel huddled on the floor with shaking hands, seeming to be  _digging_ something out of her chest. She was in a bra and pair of now blood-stained shorts. His eyes widened in horror, seeing her covered in her own blood. She also seemed to be crying, hand supporting her submerged and covered in blood. There was just too much of it.

"Oh Arceus...!" he was hesitant at first, but he kneeled down to her and tried to turn her. "Noel?!"

She must not have been paying attention; either that or she had lost so much blood she was completely out of it. Her hands shook so violently he thought she was going to hurt herself even more, so he grabbed the tool in her hand and chucked it. Now without anything to harm anybody else, he turned her towards him so he could try talking to her through whatever was happening. He was mortified when he saw what she seemed to be digging out of herself. A Key Stone hanging amongst threads of nerve and muscle tissue, clearly having been submerged in it over several years. He refused the urge to vomit as he could see the bone of her sternum. He didn't know why, but that stone was buried deep. She was paler than a ghost, not really able to keep her eyes open. Archie brushed the hair out of her face and tried to talk to her.

"Noel?! Can you hear me?!" he grinded his teeth in panic. "Noel?!" he shouted.

Receiving no response, he removed his bandana and pressed it into the wound. He held her close and picked her up, not caring if her blood stained his wetsuit. Getting up, careful not to slip, he dashed to the warp panel, the panic beginning to set in. When he was through to the main room, he sprinted down the halls, often looking down at her face to see how she was doing. She was crying, which was a good sign in terms of her consciousness.

"HYDE!" he screamed, nearing the labs.

The lights outside the labs turned on, signaling that he heard him. When the automatic doors opened for him, he was met with a sleepy Hyde, clearly either just woken up or ready to turn in for the night. Upon seeing what was happening, Hyde woke right up, the horror showing in his face. Archie sped past him, using his arm to clear a table to rest her on. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he looked urgently at the scientist.

"Please, we have to help her!" he cried.

Hyde removed his lab coat and threw it to the side. "Archie, I'm not a doctor—"

"I don't care!" he shouted, grabbing his hair in frustration , trying to calm down. "You need to help her!"

Sensing the urgency, Hyde rolled up the sleeves to his black shirt and removed the blood soaked bandana; the Aqua symbol tainted a dark red, almost black. When the cloth was removed, Hyde looked in horror at what he needed to fix. He couldn't hold himself back from puking into a trash can. Archie covered his mouth.

"Noel…" he grabbed her shoulder and looked down at her, her eyes half-closed. "Why did you do this to yourself?!"

When Hyde stood back up, panting heavily, he assessed the situation with the utmost urgency. He ran into the back room and found an anesthesia machine. Though he himself wasn't a doctor, he knew others had the equipment. He narrowed his eyes and hooked up the machine, Archie looking at him in a hopeful way.

"What are you gonna do?" his voice shook, as hard as he tried preventing that.

"I need to put her under. Those are nerves, Archie. She'll cry out in pain." he looked up at his tormented leader. "And neither of us wants to hear that."

Noel seemed to see the machine and began to shake, as if she was afraid. Her eyes opened a little more to try and retaliate, but Archie held her arms, making her look up at him.

"I'm right here. You're going to be fine." he spoke to her in confidence, not wanting her to feel his panic.

Hyde had her breathe in the anesthesia until she was firmly out, making sure they could still tell if she could feel something. Hyde put some gloves on and grabbed some tools.

"Archie, please stand back. I need to concentrate." Hyde said, lowering some tools to Noel's chest.

Nodding, he took a step back. It was beginning to sink in that he had brought Hyde a horrifying case, hopefully something that didn't trigger him. He bit at his knuckles nervously as Hyde snipped some threads that had attached themselves to the stone.

"My first question is…" Hyde muttered while being extremely delicate. "…why is there a key stone in her chest in the first place?"

Archie shook his head, his usually dark skin as pale as a ghost.

"All I know…" Archie swallowed. "Is that her father died a few years back..."

Hyde's brow twitched, as if he was remembering something as well. He wiped some blood away from the wound.

"Hyde…Hyde, I'm sorry…that I had to bring this to you now…"

Seeming to ignore his leader, Hyde spoke again.

"Now she's plagued with the death of her dear friend." Hyde sighed sadly. "Imagine what this does to the heart, Archie."

"I know…" Archie looked at the floor.

"Any mother?" Hyde asked.

"No."

"Poor child…" he whispered, snipping another thread. "Sorry, Noel. That was a nerve…"

From Hyde's analysis, this stone was forcibly placed there. How long ago, he didn't know. All he could find is that it must have been in her chest for a long time, having the threading of her body wrap around it like this. Her body had reacted like she was pulling part of it out. Hyde wiped the sweat from his face, each thread he snipped loosening the stone more and more. The Key Stone, which must have been once shiny and gleaming, was now tainted with the user's own blood, having stained it for years.

"Hyde…"

"Stop it, Archie. I'm trying to focus." he cleaned more blood from the wound.

Archie wiped his face, looking at Noel. She looked so sad, her face looking so pained. He stepped forward and took her hand, squeezing it.

"She looks so scared…" he whispered.

Hyde looked up momentarily, then back down. He began to hum, the deep tones of his voice soothing Noel's face into a more relaxed state. Archie blinked in surprise when he heard it, looking up at the scientist. Hyde looked pained himself, but the humming must have been nice for him as well. Looking down at Noel's face, she looked more relaxed. When the final thread was snapped, the stone rolled off of her chest and onto the table, Archie catching it before it could roll any further. Holding the tainted stone in his hands, he felt a type of sorrow through it. Like it had been forced through a long trial of agony.

"Archie, would you mind washing the stone? I know it sounds trivial, but please. If that stone symbolizes what I think it does, it would soothe her later seeing it clean." Hyde said.

"Yea." Archie walked to a sink and began washing it.

After a little more humming, Hyde stopped. He sighed, wiping his eyes.

"Noel, I had a daughter just like you before…" he talked to her as if she could clearly hear him. "She was so beautiful, so happy…" he cleaned her wound before scraping together some needle and thread. "She was enthusiastic about my work…often interrupting my lectures and experiments…but I knew she meant well…" he sniffed, seeming to be holding back tears. "She always loved the snow…"

Archie, hearing this, allowed tears to flow from his eyes, looking at the stone.

Hyde began stitching Noel's wound carefully. "I took her to Sinnoh several times…she loved Lake Acuity…" he smiled. "Her eyes sparkled like I've seen yours before. She hated her hair, though… But despite that, she cared for it like it was her baby…which I never understood..."

He gasped when blood started pouring from the wound again, her body having a bad reaction to the loss of nerves and muscle. He kept his calm, reattaching the broken ones as best as he could, wiping up the blood. His voice shook while trying to keep calm in this scenario.

"She died when she was 18 years old…" he choked. "Coming home from college…in Rustboro…during winter break…" he needed a second to breathe. "She was hit by a car that slid off of the road…"

Archie didn't turn around; he merely listened as Hyde spoke.

"They called me to her aid, she had apparently been asking for me during surgery…" he gripped the needle tightly. "She was so scared… My little girl was so scared…" he wiped his eyes again. "So I hummed for her…"

Archie turned around, eyes widened. He had never heard this last part about his humming.

"She smiled at me, but the blood loss was too much…she flat lined right there…her grip on my hand loosening to nothing."

Archie walked back to the table, clean stone in his hand.

"I'm not going to make the same mistake with you. Archie…Noel…" he said.

"Hyde…"

"Get me some towels and penicillin. I don't want this wound getting infected." Hyde ordered.

Archie acted on that, getting what Hyde needed. Hyde thanked him and cleaned the wound, injecting penicillin once the wound was nearly sealed. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, clipping the thread from the stitches. She would bleed no more.

"Hyde…will she be…"

"Don't have your next mission for a little while. She needs rest…and perhaps some therapy…" he sighed.

Archie's eyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled. He hugged the scientist.

"Thank you, Hyde…thank you so much…" he couldn't help but cry.

"I see my story has moved you both to tears." he replied, still looking at Noel. "She lost a lot of blood, Archie. As soon as she wakes up, she needs nutrients. If anything happens, bring her back right away."

"I thought you said you weren't a doctor."

"Well…I have my moments…" Hyde hid a smile.

Letting go of the scientist, Archie walked back over to Noel, who looked sound asleep. He was right, there were tears coming from her eyes. Letting out a sad sigh, Archie carefully lifted her into his arms, being careful not to open her stitches. He looked at Hyde, who gave him a stern nod.

"Leave me to my thoughts, if you please. I'll clean up."

"Thank you again, Hyde…" he walked past him, looking down at Noel.

As Archie left the labs, he focused on her chest. Not the boobage part, but the now scar-filled skin that covered her sternum. He felt sad for her.

"Noel…did you not want me to see this…?" he whispered, carrying her throughout the halls. "You could have told me that the stone was there…I would have understood…"

Noel twitched, as if she could hear everything he was saying.

"I'm sorry, Noel…" he whispered.

When they reached the warp panels, he stepped through into her room. He placed her on the bed, covering her in a blanket. Sighing, he turned and looked at all of the blood, now dried onto the floor.

"Just sleep tight, scamp…" he leaned down and kissed the top of her head, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'll see you when you wake up."

 

 

**The Next Morning**

The room was dim; little to no light being filtered through Noel's parted open eyelids. There was an incredible pain in her chest, one that seemed to make her go numb. Her head hurt, her eyes hurt. She didn't fully open her eyes, but she could tell that she was in her room, staring at her sideways closet. She felt warmth that came from something other than the blanket. A pair of arms seemed to be holding her, one under her body as there was one draping over her torso. Groggily, not opening her eyes, she attempted to roll onto her other side, but she couldn't lift herself up. She groaned in pain while trying to do this. She expected the arms to be Swampert's, due to the fact it always came out of its ball on its own during the night to sleep with her. She tried rolling over again, this time successful, and felt warmth against her front. However, when she opened her eyes a little more, she did not see Swampert. There was no water type Pokémon there. Instead, there was a water type human with black hair and strong arms holding her against his body. It didn't click in her head immediately; all she could focus on was how warm she felt. After a few moments of feeling the rising and falling of his chest, Noel realized that Archie was sleeping in her bed. A spark of panic rushed through her, but she didn't have the energy to act upon it. Instead, she gave in, just feeling her eyes go heavy again. Archie was warm; he was comfortable, unlike the pain in her chest that she felt. She struggled to remember what the last thing she did was. She remembered coming to the conclusion in front of the mirror that she wanted to…wanted to…

"The…the stone…" she whispered.

She slowly moved her hand, careful not to disturb Archie, to her chest, unable to remember what happened after she picked up those tools. Gasping, she felt no stone. In fact, she couldn't feel anything at all where the stone was, except for immeasurable pain that stemmed lower than the stone's resting place. Thoughts played out in her head, painful scraps of memories resurfacing of what happened the night before. She was digging the stone out when she heard footsteps. Anything after that was a painful blur, submerged in tears and agony. Eventually she just remembered voices, but she was unsure what was said.

_Did Archie see me digging the stone out…?_ She thought.

She formed herself into a fetal sleeping position, feeling the most comfortable that way. She was just left staring at what wasn't covered by blankets. Archie wasn't in his wetsuit; he was wearing a blue shirt and no bandana. His hair was messy from who-knows-what, but his face looked generally tired. He looked like a man that had just ran through a war zone. As if he felt her movement, he tightened his grip on her, face now in the top of her head. She blushed.

_Did Archie find me…digging the stone out…? If so…did he help me?_ She thought.

She heard him yawn.

_Oh Arceus is he waking up?_ She clamped her eyes shut.

"Well…I see you moved a little…" he whispered, not knowing she was awake.

_I'm going to die. This is it. This is when I die._

"Noel? You're shivering…" he sounded concerned and sat up, propped on his elbow.

She opened one of her eyes, seeing him looking back at her.

"You're awake?" he asked.

"Uh… Hi." she waved with her fingers.

"Thank Arceus…" he hugged her, holding her closer than before.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

"I nearly lost you, that's what happened." he held her tightly.

"What do you…"

"You were digging the key stone out of your chest when I walked in…it was really bad. I took you to Hyde…got you patched up…"

"You saw…?" her eyes widened.

She felt him nod. "The stone's out, Noel…it's on your desk." he lessened his grip as if he remembered something. "Don't move around for a few days. The submarine mission can wait until you're healed."

They sat up straight, Archie covering his eyes with his elbow.

"You idiot…" he said. "You stubborn idiot…"

"I'm not offended by you calling me an idiot." she grabbed his elbow and lowered it. "Are you crying…?"

"That's not the point." he sniffed. "You scared me so badly, Noel. Don't ever do that again."

She felt her heart swell when she realized that he  _was_ crying over her welfare. She felt tears reach her eyes as well.

"I'm sorry…" she hung her head. "I just…I just needed to—"

"Needed to what?" he asked.

"Remove the stone…to put it in the earring…" she whispered.

"Why didn't you ask anyone for help?"

"Because nobody was supposed to know where it was. Krys was the first person I showed it to…on my own accord…so…so…" tears fell onto the bed.

"So you wanted to put the stone from your heart into the earring, a way to keep her close…"

She nodded her head. "I should be dead, not her…"

"You're still on that?" he sounded frustrated.

"I can't help it…!" she looked up at him. "She sacrificed herself for  _me_ , Archie! That bullet was meant for  _me_! Not her! This is my own fault-!"

Archie shut her up with his own mouth connecting with hers, shocking her and sending her face into a frantic pink color.

"You're making yourself upset." he whispered, forehead touching hers. "Stop talking like that and go back to sleep." he uncovered himself, getting out of the bed by climbing over her carefully. He laid her down and covered her back up.

"Archie…" she covered half of her face in embarrassment.

"By the way." he grinned. "I like your Sharpedo underwear."

She uncovered her blanket, seeing that she was wearing a totally different pair of shorts than yesterday. She also realized she was wearing a shirt, vaguely remembering not having one on the previous night.

"ARCHIE YOU SAW MY FUCKING UNDERWEAR I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR FUCKING ASS!" she shouted, feeling pain as she shouted so abruptly.

"Go back to bed." he smiled. "And Noel…"

"WHAT?" she covered her whole face with the blanket now.

"Tell Matt I cried and  _I_  kick  _your_  ass."

She watched as he made his way toward the warp panel. Lowering the blanket, she touched her lips, a slight blush still in her cheeks. She didn't get out of the bed to chase him, she didn't go out of her way to even stand. She lied on the side of the bed Archie had been on and curled up, absorbing the warmth he left behind. Still unable to feel sections of her chest, she let out a sigh. When tears emerged, they weren't sad anymore. She felt a surge of happiness as she inhaled her pillow's scent. Eventually the tears stopped and she found herself asleep, darkness enveloping her sight.

 

 

Archie returned an hour later with a tray of food, still not wearing his usual attire. Of course he was getting strange looks from the grunts, but he didn't care. He couldn't tell anybody about what happened. He knew that things would negatively escalate from there. Stepping into her room, he found her asleep in bed, just like he told her to. Letting out a sigh of relief, he set the tray of food on her desk. His efforts at cleaning the blood off of the floor paid off, there wasn't a speck of red anywhere. His wetsuit needed to be cleaned, so for now, the sweatpants and regular shirt would have to do. He did have another bandana, but he decided to leave his hair uncovered for a while. He looked around the room, smiling at some of the posters she had hung up. It looked like she hadn't touched her laptop yet, but she had decorated what was around it. Archie picked up the picture frame, thinking it was Hyde at first, but being sadly mistaken. The smile gave it away.

"So this was your old man…" he mumbled. "Noel, you have his eyes…"

He heard movement from around the wall. Setting the picture down, he walked over to Noel's bed, seeing that she was shivering again. Even though she did have a blanket, it must have been the shock of her injury making her cold. Either that, or her wound was infected and making her sick. He felt her forehead, which was warm, but her arms were freezing.

"Why are you so cold, scamp?" he whispered, kneeling down and taking her hands in his. "Your hands especially, holy cow…"

She fidgeted, not waking up. He was concerned about how cold she was, especially considering he was such a warm dude. He carefully scooted her over so he could lie down with her again, hoping his body heat could warm her up. She turned onto her side and nuzzled into his chest. He was surprised, but he smiled. Either she  _loved_  being the little spoon or she was  _really_  cold. Or perhaps both. He rested his face on the top of her head, taking in the scent of her hair. It smelled like an assortment of berries. She began to talk in her sleep, mostly muttering gibberish, but it was little squeaks as well, as if she were having some sort of nightmare. He rubbed her back so she would stop, if she was having one.

"Archie…" she whispered into his shirt.

Thinking she was awake, he looked down at her, but her eyes were still shut.

"You warm yet, scamp?" he talked as if she could hear him.

She gripped his shirt in her hands. It was now apparent she was enveloped in some sort of bad dream by the way she refused to let go or lessen her grip. Archie talked into her ear.

"Noel? Can you hear me?"

She pulled on his shirt as if she were frightened of something. He narrowed his eyes as she began grinding her teeth. He touched her cheek, and like it was an alarm, her eyes opened.

"What's wrong? Were you having a nightmare?" he asked, concerned.

"Hungry…" she whispered.

"Right, gotcha." He rolled out of bed, now that she had let go of him, and grabbed the tray of food. "Can you make it to the table?"

She slowly sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Getting up, she was a tad wobbly, but she was very much able to make it to the table on her own. She pulled out a chair and sat down, eyes opening much more when she smelled the French toast he had brought her.

"Holy shit, it's French toast." she smiled at it.

"The cooks said that's all you ever eat in the morning, so I figured you'd like it." he smiled.

"Fuck yea, where's my fork?" she snagged it from him and began shoveling the syrupy bread into her mouth. "Fank oo Archie" she thanked with her mouth full.

"No problem, scampo." he watched her eat.

"You know." she wiped her mouth. "We can talk about shit at breakfast, Archie. It's called socializing." she teased.

"I'm just a little preoccupied at the moment." he admitted.

"Is the submarine being worked on?" she asked, looking at his hair.

He brushed through his hair with his fingers and cleared his throat.

"Yea. It's gonna take several days to get it finished, but I'm sure it'll be ready to set sail when you're ready to walk around by yourself."

"I walked to the table, I'm the golden ticket of health." she drank the juice he had given her.

"Yea, but you lost several liters of blood last night. I don't want you suddenly falling over and fainting on me."

She didn't retaliate, she simply locked eyes with him and sipped her juice. Archie was being honest and he didn't want her leaving his sight until she was completely ready to go. She coughed on some juice and wiped her mouth, setting the glass down.

"Thank you for getting me this, Archie." she said again, mouth empty this time. "And thank you for finding me when you did…I'm sorry you had to see that…"

"Don't get down in the dumps again. It's my job to take care of you."

She turned pink. "Right…"

Archie looked at her. She was avoiding his gaze, and he mostly knew why. He stood up from his chair and went to her desk, picking up the earrings that were left there. He had already placed her key stone in the clasp of the earring. He turned and showed her, bringing a smile to her face. He put them in for her, seeing her face light up with a type of passion she hadn't seen from her in a long time.

"Now it doesn't have to be a secret anymore." he smiled, faces on the same plane.

He was the one to be surprised this time when Noel was the one to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck happily. He deepened it, hugging her tightly. When it was broken, she laughed somewhat obnoxiously, then quickly covered her mouth.

"Oh my Arceus I just laughed like that, didn't I?" she giggled.

"Holy shit, was that a giggle?" he grinned.

"Yo, shut the fuck up…" she grinned back.

 

 

Hours drug on like this for the next few days. Archie would check in on her often enough to see if she was still in one piece, both emotionally and physically. She greeted him the same way every time, with a smile and a kiss. He teased her often about that giggle that he had never heard before, usually making her shout at him with a smile on her face or punching him in the arm. Shelly and Matt didn't ask questions about why she was holed up in her room, for they already had their inklings at what. The sudden emergence of the key stone gave it away, along with the scars that now protruded from her chest when she was in casual attire. Shelly wasn't angry with her anymore, to her relief. Archie wouldn't let her out of the base yet until she could run three laps around the battle arena without stopping, which she thought was a fair thing to say. It was good rehabilitation for her mental and physical health, as well as giving her some time to run with her Pokémon. On the fourth night, Archie walked into the science labs to greet Hyde and ask for some intel on the orb. Hyde met him with a nod, in front of a scanner that held the orb within it.

"Evening, Hyde." he greeted, back to his usual wetsuit and bandana.

"How is she?" Hyde asked.

"Doing better every day. She's running with her Pokémon as we speak." he smiled.

"Good. I'm glad." he nodded, writing something on the clipboard.

"What've you got for me on the orb? Anything odd?"

"No, not much." he furrowed his brows. "Just some odd things at night. The orb sometimes gives off this bright light, along with a mist that cools the machine down exponentially."

Archie raised his eyebrows in fascination. "Oh?"

"It isn't very often. As I said, it's only at night. I do suggest moving along with your mission soon, though. I fear that any day now, the trainer you all are wary of may break in to foil your plans."

"I know. I'm going to check in with all of the admins tonight and discuss Noel's health. If she's perfectly ready, we set sail tomorrow. If not…then I'll wait another day."

Hyde nodded. "Just be careful with her, Archie."

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of her."

After his meeting with Hyde, Archie called a meeting for all of the admins, Noel jogging there to prove how fit and ready to go she was. They all met in Archie's room, sitting around the table with their hands folded together. Archie was once again worried about the lifespan of the chair Matt sat in.

"Bro, I'm so ready to see this dream go. Like. WHOO!"

Shelly scooted away from Matt in his cheering stance. Noel just sat there to listen.

"We're here to discuss the mission of moving out with the submarine to the underwater cave on Route 128. Matt, how is the construction of the submarine?"

"Bro, we're ready to go. Anytime you're ready, it's waiting for you to roll OUT!" he slammed the table with his fist.

Shelly hadn't made eye contact with Archie for the past few days, which troubled him. She spent most of her time away from him, as if she had qualms about what was going on. With a sad sigh, he didn't ask her anything. He knew she wasn't going to reply.

"Noel." he turned his head to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Yo if you want I can challenge Matt to a push up contest right now. I can totally do it." she sounded confident.

"Noel you don't have to—"

"MATT, WE'RE DOIN' THIS!" she got up and slammed her hand on the table.

"ALL RIGHT SIS, BRING IT ON!" he nearly smashed the table with his brute strength.

Archie sat there in bewilderment as Noel and Matt went head to head in a push up contest. Matt was screaming battle cries the whole time as Noel stared him down, not slowing even when a bead of sweat began to form.

"I DON'T HEAR YOU COUNTING, SIS!" Matt shouted.

"ALL I HEAR IS YOUR WEAK SHIT YOU CALL THOSE PUSH UPS?!"

"I have no idea what to do right now." Archie put his hands up in defeat. "I am literally in no control of this."

Eventually, they gave up at around 100 pushups with Noel getting a little tired. She admitted defeat, Matt standing up and cheering his victory. Noel laid on the floor in defeat, panting in exhaustion.

"So…" Archie cleared his throat. "Considering Noel is 100% healthy, as I can now see, we will resume our actions of storming the cave with the submarine tomorrow. Matt, I want you to guard the submarine in case that trainer shows up. Shelly, I want you on backup radio in case Matt has any problems. Noel and I will make our way to the underwater cavern and radio you when we've drilled through. Tomorrow, the base is on total lockdown. If that trainer, or even worse, Team Magma, gets through that door, the grunts are to stop them at all costs. Understood?"

"AYE AYE!" the admins saluted.

The admins left the table, all amped up…and by all, that only pertained to Matt. He jumped into the air, nearly punching a hole in the ceiling. Shelly left silently, quick to avoid any confrontation with the muscle-fueled juggernaut. Archie helped Noel up from her defeated position on the floor. She smiled, ready for anything and ready to knock someone in the jaw. When Matt left, Archie calmed her thunder by wrapping her in a hug.

"I want you to get a good night's sleep, okay? I'll come wake you when it's time to start prepping for launch." he kissed her.

"Got it, captain." she smirked.

Noel gave him a kiss goodnight, waving as she neared the warp panel. He let out a sigh when she left him alone.

 

 

**Noel's Room**

Once Noel returned to her room, she got changed into her pajamas, choosing the ones with the Lunatone on them. As she got changed, warmth grew inside of her from the excitement of their true objective rearing its head. She climbed into bed, forming a burrito of blankets around her to maintain maximum warmth. The past few nights, she's experienced cold spells that have woken her up from a peaceful night's sleep. Hopefully tonight she will remain as toasty as a Torkoal. There was a tune in her head, along with a voice, that has been stuck there for the past few nights as well. Just thinking about it made her lull into extreme drowsiness. It was a tone of voice, a hum, that she thought she'd heard before, but she couldn't place her finger on it. All that mattered is that it was soothing to her and it helped her fall asleep. It did its wonders once again, blackness sweeping over her vision in a matter of seconds.

 

 

**Whereabouts: Unknown**

Noel was freezing cold, wherever she seemed to be. She was standing on a flat lake surface, a full moon shining over her. Shivering, she hopped up and down in order to keep herself warm. Whatever phenomenon this was kept happening, and it was occurring once again. She was known to have odd dreams, but these always left her disturbed upon waking. Bracing herself, her teeth chattered as she waited for the usual to happen. No matter how long she waited though, nothing emerged from the water like normal. It all remained completely silent.

"W-well?" she shouted into nowhere. "I'm h-here! What d-d-do you want this t-time?"

No answer. She decided to walk forward into the murky depths of blackness, seeing no end in sight or any particular horizon line. She rubbed her arms to keep them warm, her feet already long gone in terms of feeling. Suddenly, there was a rumbling, cracks beginning to form in the surface of the water. She looked down to see two humongous eyes staring back at her. Screaming, she felt what was beneath her feet crumble away, sending her into the darkness of the water. Struggling and flailing her arms to reach the surface, there was none, any form of air or opening disappearing before her very eyes. She couldn't breathe. Water entered her throat and lungs, bubbles escaping her mouth as there was no end in sight. She felt herself go limp, unable to breathe and out of energy. Though she knew she was a limp ragdoll, she was still capable of all of her senses. What felt like a tentacle, or some sort of hand, dragged her farther down and down until she was positive she was descending into the depths of Hell. Suddenly, she was on a boat. Not just any boat, but the ocean liner that exploded all those weeks ago. She was in a position she was familiar with, one thought going through her mind. She was once again in the position of warning the captain. Her arms and legs moved on their own, taking her up those stairs and into the Captain's helm. The same sight lay before her, Maxie with the gun. Only this time, Maxie spoke something different, not holstering his weapon.

_"_ _I am one of many evils. Can you come to douse my flame?"_

She couldn't speak, only choke on the bullet that ripped through her throat and vocal cords. Sinking to her knees, she collapsed onto the floor, seeing Maxie's feet walk past, the blood pooling out of her. Blinking, she could feel the pain and still live. In this space, there was no need for the ability to breathe in order to survive. Was this a message? As she closed her eyes in a blink, she opened them to find herself in Mossdeep City. The blood had left the ground and her wound had vanished. Standing, she felt the familiar stone swing from her neck. Looking down, she was a 19 year old again, seeing her necklace like a normal piece of jewelry. However, she remembered this day like the back of her hand. The gunshot pulled her eyes away from the darkened sky and to the collapsing man with a bullet through his head. Screaming, she ran forward to him. Her father once again died before her very eyes, by the very same man. No. She was wrong. It wasn't the same man. This man had no eyes, just white spaces. All of the Rocket members did. They stood there, staring at her tears like puppets. The murderer smiled and spoke to her.

_"_ _I am an evil that will haunt you forever. Will this end 'like father like daughter'?"_

The murderer's Houndoom raced forward and ripped her right eye out, leaving her there to wail in agony as she could only watch the sky through her left. She fell onto her back and held her eye socket in pain, curling into a fetal position in hopes of making it better. As blackness of the Houndoom's jaws snapped over her vision, she found herself opening both eyes into a sunny world, three suns overseeing the land in this time of terror. She looked around her, she was probably the size of a young child with the awareness of a grown woman. Looking down at herself, she saw that those were indeed the circumstances. A woman she hardly recognized was filling a kiddie pool with a hose, Demetrius standing next to her while keeping an eye on the ocean. It was a different house in a different place that Noel didn't know. Out of nowhere, there was the sound of a bullet whizzing through the air, cutting through the woman's chest like butter. The woman made eye contact with her and collapsed into the grass, dead. Demetrius cried out in agony, and that's when Noel realized that the woman before her was her mother, also shot to death before her eyes. She crawled to her, looking into her eyes, which were also left without pupils. The woman's dead lips spoke.

_"_ _I am the innocence that you held onto. Will you conquer the evil within yourself?"_

There was a sudden blow to the head as Noel was thrust forward in what seemed to be a ripple in time. It was the battle with Archie for adminship, the battle before Krys' death. The explosion came from the entranceway, the Magma grunts pouring into the room like hungry, rabid animals. She tried crying out to Krys, telling her to run, but there was no sound coming from her throat. As hard as she cried, nothing escaped her mouth. Maxie was once again visible, walking through the doorway with a sick and twisted smile, holding the murder weapon. The blast of the shot echoed in her ears like a familiar cannon blast, her friend flinging herself in front of her like she had before. The same sequence passed over. She held Krys and watched the light leave her eyes, saw the color drain from her face. Wailing into the air, having to see this tragedy again, another flurry of shots went off, all hitting her in the chest, ripping through her and coming out the other side. Falling onto her back, she saw Krys, eyeless, enter her field of vision.

_"_ _I am the murder that was all your fault. Will it take over your life?"_

A hand grasped her torso and lifted her off of the ground, launching her into the air and back onto a different surface. She was in her bed, Archie sitting on top of her, a wicked smile on his face. This scenario was different. She had never been in this situation before, seeing her lover's consciousness disappearing before her very eyes. She clung onto him and screamed his name for him to come back to her, she screamed for life. Archie slammed her face into the headboard, whispering into her ear very threateningly.

_"_ _I am what the heart wants. Will you tear me apart or will you let me crush you?"_

Laughing maniacally, he flipped her over and, teeth sharpened like a Sharpedo, began tearing away at her sternum, where her wound was, and tore the skin and muscle from her being, thrusting his hand in, removing her heart. She sobbed, begging for it all to be over. Archie laughed at the top of his lungs, burying her with the might of his body. She was being smothered in her own bed, or so she thought as she was released into chilly water once again. Flailing for the surface, her hand broke through, getting a hold of something solid, allowing her to pull herself up. Gasping for air, she sputtered and coughed, water erupting from her mouth and pooling on the flat surface in front of her. She was completely out of the water, soaked to the bone and freezing. She supported herself with her elbows, trying to stand back up. Tears flooded her face as she collapsed back onto the ground, weak and destroyed. She just wanted to wake up. Five pairs of footsteps appeared before her field of vision, making themselves known by being the only audible force in the entire environment. Lifting her head, she saw all five of them: Maxie, the Rocket murderer, her mother, Krys, and Archie. All were eyeless, all were soulless. They said nothing, they only stared into her soul, trying to break her more and more. She felt frozen, she felt numb, she felt dead. She punched the surface of the water, or whatever the fuck it was, with her fist in anger. She screamed for it to stop, she screamed for it to end, she screamed nonstop, holding her head. All five bodies toppled her at one time, forcing her back into the water. Screaming underwater, she watched as bubbles erupted from her mouth, all holding the air from her lungs. Finally, when there was no more air, no more strength, she closed her eyes and listened.

_"_ _Noel?" a familiar voice called out to her. "Noel?!" it was getting louder now._

"NOEL!" the voice screamed.

 

 

Gasping violently, Noel shot up from her slumber, body drenched in sweat and head burning. The force of her awakening sent her falling to the floor at Archie's feet, sputtering and coughing, gasping as if she hadn't breathed for an entire lifetime. Archie grabbed her, sitting her up and looking her over in a frenzy as if the world was ending.

"Noel, for Arceus sake, what was  _THAT_?!" he asked her, clearly panicked.

She stuck her finger up, asking him to hold on a second while she coughed and felt like death.

"I came in here to wake you up and your blanket had been  _thrust_  off of the bed and you were drenched in sweat. When I tried waking you you started crying and shaking! What the fuck was that?!"

She slowed her breathing. "A nightmare…"

"A nightmare? Are you sure?"

"Nah I just had an all-night hallucination cause I was high on some dope Pokeblocks." she narrowed her eyes. "Yes, a nightmare." she took deep breaths.

"Well, you're drenched. C'mon, you need to take a shower." he helped her up,

She flinched when he pulled her up, images of the shark teeth ripping her heart out flashing across her mind. Archie must have noticed this because he looked at her worriedly. She told him what had happened in that part of the nightmare, all but the quote the soulless figment of him had told her. Eyes wide in horror, he took her into his arms tightly and kissed her, rubbing her back.

"I would never do that to you… You know that, right?"

"Of course…it was just a terrible nightmare…" she said into him. "I need to take a shower."

"Come on, yea. Let's get you ready, we have a big day ahead of us. You sure you're alright? You're good, healthy, living?"

She smiled. "Yes, you pirate fuck."

When they did reach the showers, Archie stood outside of her stall and talked to her through the curtain, leaning against the wall. He held her clothes for her.

"So the game plan is that when all preparations are complete, we'll enter the submarine and get the hell outta here. Matt will keep whatever intruders busy. You and I are making a trek to the undersea cavern on Route 128. The sub's kinda cramped, so we'll be a little smooshed together in there." he explained.

"Are we gonna use the drill to break into the cavern?" she said from inside the shower.

"Yup. When we're through, we'll send a signal to Shelly and the others telling them we're through. That's when Shelly and the grunts will set up to stand guard outside of the main corridor."

"Will Team Magma be an issue?" she asked.

"I hope not. But if so, you're there to back me up." he chuckled. "It's time, Noel. All the plans we've had up 'til now, all of our struggles, they're all about to pay off."

Noel turned the shower off, grabbing the towel Archie had set aside for her. Once she was dried and covered, she stuck her hand out of the curtain.

"Underwear me."

"The Crobats or the Sableye?" he joked.

"Fuck you. Crobat please."

He handed them to her, laughing in amusement at the fact that she even had a pair of those. She stuck her hand out again.

"Bra."

"Wow, you're a 36C? I never knew that." he teased.

" _ARCHIE."_

He laughed, handing her the bra. She mumbled and grumbled as she put it on, stepping out of the shower stall with her hair bunched up in a towel on top of her head. Archie straightened his anchor chain as she stepped out.

"Don't be a jerk, give me my clothes, please." she held her arms out.

He handed her the pants first, watching as she put them on.

"How are you gonna get the shirt on if you have a towel on your head?" he asked.

She whipped the towel at his face. "That's how, now gimme."

She took her shirt from his hands and put it on. He lowered the towel from his face and watched as she flipped her wet hair into the air, waves of brown shining from in the light of the bathroom, and when the hair slammed against her back, she looked even more beautiful.

"Archie?" she waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to Archie?"

He smirked. "Sorry, I can't get over how downright gorgeous you are."

She sighed, cheeks turning pink. "Thanks…"

He handed her her earrings. "You can't forget these, right?"

"Right." she put them in, letting out a puff of air. "I'm ready."

He grinned. "Perfect. Let's roll."

As the duo walked through the halls, Archie barked at the grunts to get into battle positions and that they were moving out in less than thirty minutes. Noel strapped her team's Pokeballs to her waist and cracked her knuckles. Putting her barrettes in, she realized that Archie's skin was practically flaming red, as if he was boiling in rage.

"Archie, are you okay?" she touched his arm.

He began shouting at the top of his lungs, passion filling his voice as the grunts got into their positions. They began to jog down the hallways, shouting at people as they ran past. If some were oblivious to their leader's yelling, Noel did the honors of using her loud voice to get them moving. They made their pit-stop at the labs, Archie waiting for her outside while she ran inside to retrieve the Blue Orb. As she reached the machine, Hyde met her there with a look in his eyes she hadn't seen in six years. He dropped his clipboard and brought her in for a huge hug, surprising her. She hugged him back out of instinct.

"Be careful out there, Noel…" he told her, squeezing her tightly.

"I will…" she closed her eyes to see an image of her father. "I'll come back safely."

"You promise?" sadness filled his voice.

She nodded, feeling like she completely understood his pain.

"Good." he let her go. "Now take the orb and go. If that trainer shows up looking for it, I have my Pokémon by my side."

She nodded, walking over to the scanner and opening the lid, revealing the orb. She picked it up in her hands and took another look at Hyde. He was smiling at her. Nodding once again, she ran past him and outside to meet up with Archie, whose face was still red. When he saw the orb, he took it in his hands and laughed. The duo continued through the halls. As they were reaching the docking platform, the red lights and horns went off.

_"_ _ATTENTION AQUA GRUNTS: THE FEMALE TRAINER HAS BREACHED THE ENTRANCE. REPEAT; HOLD THIS TRAINER BACK AT ALL COSTS."_

Archie's smile twisted, the redness in his face still quite apparent.

"Noel, we're leaving in ten minutes!" he hollered.

"Aye aye, captain!" she ran around to the mechanics' room to tell them to begin the initiative engine start and to supply power to the drill.

"BRO, ARE YOU READY?!" Archie shouted at Matt, who was awaiting them by the docking ladder.

"BRO I'M SO AMPED!" Matt pounded his chest.

They exchanged shouts and shoulder punches like that until Noel came out.

"Drill has fifty percent power!" she reported.

The alarms began to blare louder, signaling that the trainer still wasn't defeated. Archie screamed for all grunts to get into position, centering the quintuplets in position before Matt's battle. Noel ran over to Matt, gave him a high-five, and waited for Archie.

"We don't have time to wait for the drill to finish powering. Even if it's only at 75%, that'll be enough." he nodded at Matt. "Keep her back for us, got it?"

"RIGHT, BRO!"

"Alright! Noel, I'll go into the sub first. You follow after me. When we're both in and settled we're getting outta here." he handed her the orb. "Toss it down when I land, alright?"

Archie descended the ladder that led to the open hatch. To Noel's amusement, Archie made the submarine design look like a Sharpedo.

"Fuckin' nerd…" she laughed, tossing him the orb which he caught successfully.

When Archie was inside, Noel descended the ladder next. The alarms in the docks grew louder, red lights flashing. She jumped onto the submarine and got to the hatch, seeing the trainer enter the dock room to meet their quintuplets. Smirking, she lowered herself into the hatch and sealed it shut as she entered, hopping down into the belly of the metal beast. Archie was right; there was no room in there except for the small seat that faced a large window, or now, in this case, the two windows for Sharpedo's eyes. Archie was flipping some switches on the ceiling, clearly focused on getting the submarine out of there. The Blue Orb sat on its own little pedestal, giving off a slight light. There was a screen, a small one, above their heads that showed May approach Matt. There was no audio, but they were clearly able to see the battle between them. When Archie was finished, the two of them were smooshed together, just like he warned, as they tried to make their way to the seat.

"Lemme sit first, you're smaller. You'll be in front of me." he smirked, sitting first.

"Yea, please don't…smother me." a chill ran up her spine when she remembered her nightmare.

She sat in front of him and they both looked up at the screen. Matt's Sharpedo was just defeated. When a green light went on, Archie reached around her to pull a lever. They slowly sank into the water, no longer able to see the confines of the base. All around them there was water.

"Would you like to hit the green button?" he asked.

"I'd love to." she smiled.

She hit the green button, the great submarine pushing forward like a whale. They were finally exposed to the greatness of the ocean, leaving Lilycove and the Aqua base behind. Archie sat back in the seat, letting out a big sigh.

"The sub's on auto pilot. It'll give us an alert when we near the cave." he crossed his arms behind his head.

"And…how long is that gonna take?" she asked, doing her best to turn around and look at him.

"No idea." he smirked.

"Well, great! I have a big buff body pillow while we wait." she leaned back as well, resting her head on Archie's chest. She looked up at him and smiled. "So that X on your face…do you do it to match your Sharpedo?"

"I uh…" he looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh come on. It's cute. It makes you look more intimidating." she grabbed his face and pulled it down to kiss him.

He smiled against her lips. "What would I do without you?"

"I'm not sure." she smiled as well. "I was about to ask the same question."

"Remember the time when you tried eating a whole potato when we locked eyes at dinner?"

"OH MY GOD." she blushed and covered her face.

"And what about when we were on that Salamence together?" he pulled her closer.

"I scared your fuckin' anchor off with that loopty loop."

With the space around them very limited to begin with, it wasn't difficult for Noel to find herself huddled into her leader, taking in all of his warmth.

"But what about you?" he asked. "Why me and not that silver haired buddy-boy from Mossdeep?"

She laid her hand on Archie's chest, head resting on his shoulder. "Your heart."

"Come again?" he blinked, looking down at her.

"Sure, Steven and I were the closest of friends, but he was a rich kid with a snarky attitude. He didn't let me beat him. Yes, he was handsome, and sure, he had the brains, but he had the ego of a spoiled guy with two glasses full when I had half a glass. If that makes sense." she saw how he was paying attention intently. "I could never win. Sure, he was protective, and I admire that, but…that spark was gone. I know that I'm happier this way. You have the soul and passion for your Team, Pokémon, and goals that I've never seen before. You have wicked-ass muscles and swooning black hair, you've got the initiative that Steven never had."

His lips crashed into hers with the passion she was just describing. She accepted it, giving in to him. They stayed that way for a long time, making fun of each other when their mouths weren't preoccupied. Eventually, their positions had changed by a complete 180, her being below him with her shirt coming undone. When he sat up and smiled, a grin came across his face.

"Am I crushing you?"

"Well, this isn't the most comfortable place to be doing this." she was honest.

When he grinned, an image raced across her eyes. For an instant, his eyes became soulless, his grin becoming more evil. Her heart jumped, making her gasp.

"What? What's wrong?" he lost his smile.

When she saw that it was just an illusion, she waved her hand, saying it was nothing. An alert went off on the screen in red text. She and Archie needed to reset their positions in order to go any further. She redid her shirt, straightening it out and covering her scars. Archie looked at the screen in all seriousness and smiled.

"Look out there, Noel. Do you see it?"

Squinting while looking out the windows, she saw a large, dark mass beginning to grow larger in accordance to the sub. It looked to be a sealed off cave. She smiled.

"Is that it?" she bunched her hands together. "Archie is that…"

"Aye, it is." he cracked his knuckles. "The cave where Kyogre sleeps."


	8. Aqua Affinity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is: the chapter you've all been waiting for. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it took a hell of a long time to write. It's the longest chapter in the story for a reason. And don't be fooled by the ending, there is still one more chapter after this. Please enjoy.

Archie reached around Noel and pulled a lever. Through the windows, they could see the drill work into motion, starting out slow but gradually getting faster. Bubbles erupted from such a motion, Archie pressing the green button from before. The submarine lurched, creating a shift of tension inside the vessel.

"Hold on tight, scamp." he pushed the lever in.

The metal beast surged forward, the tip of the drill striking the walls of the cavern. The inside shook all around as papers and containers flew forward from the crash. Noel held onto the arms of the seat to avoid whiplash, Archie paying more attention to pulling the lever back again. The drill worked at the wall, sending the vibrations through the whole vessel. Archie laughed as he pushed the lever front again, increasing the power of the drill. Unbeknownst to them, the blue orb began shining behind them, a cool mist forming around it.

"One more time oughta do it!" he shouted.

He rammed the lever forward one last time, sending the both of them forward from the impact. The drill broke through the layers of hard rock, Archie shouting in victory. A green blinding light shot out from the cavern, shaking the whole sub until a ringing pounded through Noel's ears. She needed to cover her eyes as the light enveloped the sub, scared of opening her eyes and becoming blind. Archie must have been doing the same because he grunted and swore while the brightness progressed. After a few minutes, the light died away, allowing the duo to open their eyes and take in what had happened.

"Archie…"

"We're in." he smirked, beckoning the sub forward.

"Archie, that light was blinding. Who knows how many people saw that…" she spoke in awe.

As the sub entered the expanse of the cavern, there was an odd sense of foreboding, making Noel's hair stand on end. Archie pressed a red button, forcing the sub upward. They were about to step foot into the cave where Kyogre slept. When they were above water, through the eyes of the Sharpedo, they could see an entrance on the other end of the room. Archie chuckled in delight as he patted Noel's back.

"Here we are."

Noel stood up first, ducking her head and walking around carefully. She climbed the ladder to open the hatch with a heavy swing. Climbing out, she saw a beautiful sandy beach at the edge of the water, the room all around her big enough to fit 100 submarines. Her voice echoed when she laughed.

"I'm handing the orb up to you, scamp." she heard Archie say.

She grabbed the orb from Archie, stepping back from the hatch so he could climb up. The orb was once again normal, no light or coldness emanating from it. Archie wore the same bewildered expression as her, taking in the size of this place. Laughing at the top of his lungs, he jumped into the water. He stayed under for a little, coming up when he needed a breath or two. He swam to the sand, telling her it was alright to step off.

"You needed to swim, didn't you?" she smiled, hopping off the sub.

"Damn right I did." he shook his head like a wet dog. "I'm so ready to do this, you have no idea."

The two of them walked through the opening, which led into an even larger expanse of caves. There didn't seem to be any Pokémon around, all they heard was water dripping onto the floors. Noel hung onto the orb while Archie looked around the caves, soaking in the experience. He looked so excited; it brought a smile to her face. Another room they entered required using Swampert's surf to maneuver across currents, Archie using his Sharpedo. At this point, neither of them cared about getting wet. Their wetsuits were meant for that purpose. They walked into another room, huge rocks lining the walls and blocking the path. They delicately squeezed past them, Noel going first because she wasn't as stacked as her superior. When Archie made it past the rocks, they walked through another entranceway. This seemed to be a final descent, seeing as what laid before them were staircases carved into the floor. Above them on the ceiling was an ancient cave painting of Kyogre. Noel pointed up at it, smile almost as wide as Archie's. As she looked at the cave painting, an image flew across her eyes again. The orb grew cold in her hands as she thought she saw the painting's eyes look back at her. She stumbled, nearly falling down the stairs. Archie caught her by her outstretched hand.

"Jeez, Noel, be careful…" his eyes widened as he grabbed her hand.

"Thank you…these stairs are just so old…" she smiled.

"Your hand…your hand is freezing!" he held her hand and breathed on it.

"It is?" she blinked. "Well, thank you for being a sweetie and warming it for me. I must be too excited." she continued down the stairs, Archie still holding her hand.

The orb in her free hand began to give off an eerie glow. As they reached the next flight of stairs, images of a bloodied face crossed her vision, making her stop walking and gasp.

"Noel, what is it?" he narrowed his eyes.

She didn't answer and kept walking. As they finally reached the last set of stairs, a huge black opening awaited them, as if they were about to be swallowed whole. Nodding at one another, they descended into the belly of the beast, the light of the orb finally grabbing Archie's attention. It seemed to be guiding them and he hadn't noticed. His hand gripped Noel's tighter, his heart rate quickening when he saw the light the orb gave off. Noel seemed to be in a trance. Before he could say anything, they were met with a dazzling blue cave, the light of the orb matching the luminous spectacle that met their eyes upon walking in. Noel gasped in awe as she looked all around the room. Archie's eyes were focused on the giant basin in the center. He let Noel's hand go and walked forward, his smirk growing ever larger the closer and closer he got to the rim of it. Noel followed him.

"Well would you look at that." Archie placed his hands on his hips.

The gigantic body of a blue Pokémon was floating serenely in the basin of water, its eyes closed and body unmoving. Noel's heartbeat could be heard in her ears, the orb growing colder in her hands.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Archie erupted into intense laughter. "THIS IS IT! NOEL, LOOK AT IT! THERE IT IS, RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES!"

Noel smiled with him.  _This is it. We're about to recreate the world._

"Yes, wrapped up like a gift, eh, Archie?" a voice interrupted.

The two of them turned around to see Maxie, hands behind his back, slowly walking into the room with a straight face. The orb grew brighter in Noel's hands.

"How did you get down here?!" Archie shouted.

"I followed the submarine, of course." he answered. "You aren't the only one with underwater transportation."

"Well," Archie stood up straight and chuckled. "What are you gonna do, stop me?"

"That's precisely what I'm going to do." when he was about ten feet away from them, he stopped. "Hello, Noel. Pleasure to see you again."

A cold rage burned inside her belly.

"Maxie." she greeted with a frown.

"I'm sorry about how our last meeting ended. I merely lost my temper." he looked genuine in his explanation.

"Fuck you." she stepped forward, Archie grabbing her shoulder.

"Don't you go losing yours now, too." Archie warned, not looking at her.

"Archie, I suggest you both admit defeat. I won't let you get away with this." he got out a Pokeball.

"Tch." Archie grabbed one of his own. "Bring it on, nerd boy."

"Hold on." Noel stepped up. "Archie put your Pokémon away." she made eye contact with Maxie. "This is my battle."

Noel handed Archie the blue orb, feeling returning to her fingers and hands. She stepped in front of Archie, who was amazed by the orb's temperature. Maxie smiled at her.

"Remember the battle you promised me? All that time ago, back in Lilycove?" she stood up confidently, grabbing a Pokeball. "I want to see the power that's in your Key Stone."

"And I intend to keep that promise." he chuckled. "Go, Mighteyena!" Maxie threw forward a Pokeball.

"Go, Swellow!" Noel through her own.

The two incredibly fast Pokémon erupted from their balls, amped and ready to fight. Maxie started the battle with a Crunch, Swellow able to dodge it with its flight, dive bombing the dog with a Brave Bird. Swellow suffered recoil from the move, allowing Mightyena to use what strength it had left on a Dark Pulse attack. Swellow was caught up in a dark aura, weakening it to the point of landing. As Mightyena moved in for a final Crunch attack, Swellow blasted the dog with a gust of air, stunning it so it could regain its stance in mid-air. While stunned, Swellow sped forward with an Aerial Ace, sending its opponent flying backward. When Mightyena had fainted, Noel called back her brilliant bird.

 _The passion flowing through Noel right now is similar to a typhoon. She's using her pent up emotions to lash back at Maxie._ Archie thought as he watched her battle.  _You can do it, scamp._

"Weezing." he lightly tossed his Pokeball, very different from Archie's chuck.

A Weezing popped out of the ball, smog pouring from its mouth.

"Metagross!" she threw forward her next ball.

Metagross landed on the ground with a THUD, making the ground shake. Maxie seemed bothered by her decision, Weezing obviously being at a type disadvantage. Unfortunately, Metagross was so large it had a slow start. Weezing levitated forward and seemed to vomit gunk in Metagross' direction.

"Psychic!"

Metagross stopped the gunk, making it fall to the ground. It then moved forward with using it on Weezing, a pain rippling through it that made it faint instantly. Maxie growled as he returned it to its ball. Metagross was staying out, there was no damage dealt yet.

"Crobat."

Crobat emerged with amazing speed, hovering all around the field. It was even faster than Archie's. Crobat zoomed forward and connected a Fire Fang to Metagross' leg, sending a burning sensation throughout the Pokémon. Metagross cried out.

"HAMMER ARM!" she screamed.

It swung its leg in the air, shaking off the bat and startling it. Such a blow must have done some damage, but Metagross was burned now. Crobat shook it off, diving in again with an Acrobatics. Noel waited for Metagross to be in the perfect position. It would be tough to land a hit, but she knew she had to try. Suddenly, Crobat's Acrobatics brought it to Metagross' front.

"GO, HYPER BEAM NOW!"

Maxie's eyes widened as an incredible beam of energy shot from Metagross' mouth, making full contact with Crobat's entire being. Maxie needed to leap out of the way to avoid being hit by it, making his glasses come off kilter. Crobat fell from the air and onto the ground, fainted.

"Impudent little…" Maxie returned his Crobat.

"Metagross, return." she breathed heavily, calling her Pokémon back.

"I'll have to admit…you're the shining replica of your father." Maxie smiled, holding his final Pokeball.

Noel's heart jumped. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." he tossed the Pokeball. "Your father would be proud of you."

When Noel heard those words, she was surprised. Her heart swelled, thankful that he didn't say something else. A Camerupt came out of the ball, snorting and roaring. Noel smiled, covering her eyes with her elbow.

"Noel?" Archie whispered.

The orb in his hands warmed a little, as if it were reacting to Noel's change in emotion.

"How ironic…" she sniffled. "That I'm hearing  _you_  say those words…" she uncovered her face. "Swampert, make me proud." she threw its ball forward.

Swampert crashed onto the ground with a mighty THUD, roaring into the air with a confidence that radiated through its trainer as well. There was a peace in her eyes even though she was fighting the man who was responsible for killing her best friend.

"Show me the power within your Key Stone." he threw her words back at her.

For the first time, Noel didn't press her hand to her chest. She reached to her earring and made contact with it, sending a pulse through her Swampert to make it mega-evolve. Maxie did the same, pressing into the side of his glasses. The expression on his face changed when his Camerupt mega-evolved, a miniature volcano sprouting off of its back. Noel also remembered that this was a battle of destiny. She only needed to defeat this Camerupt, then Archie could achieve his dream. She grinded her teeth.

"Surf!" she shouted.

Swampert, borrowing some of the water from the basin, launched itself forward at its opponent, hoping to cover it in water. Camerupt dug its hooves into the ground, summoning an earthquake to send Swampert off kilter. It succeeded, Swampert falling from its wave and into the rumbling of the earth. Noel clenched her fists.

"Water Pledge!"

Water shot forward, this time hitting the target and soaking it. While Camerupt was distracted, Swampert dug its hands into the earth.

"EARTHQUAKE!"

Maxie needed to realign his balance as Swampert also rattled the earth with its power. Archie watched as rocks fell from the ceiling, thankfully not coming to close proximity of the battlefield. He also watched as Camerupt looked heavily weakened by the Earthquake, still standing.

"CAMERUPT, ERUPTION!" Maxie shouted with a voice she didn't think he had.

Camerupt raced forward with an eruption of lava and rocks exploding from its back. Noel gasped.

"SURF, QUICK!"

Swampert summoned a wave of water and used it as a wall, protecting itself from the raining molten rock. It was a stalemate; water versus magma.

"PUSH!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "YOU CAN DO IT, PUSH!"

Feeling its trainer's intensity, it roared loudly and pressed forward, the water fizzling out its opponent's lava and shutting it down completely. Camerupt was slammed with a wall of water, hurling it backward and onto its side. When the dust settled, it twitched before fainting. Swampert breathed heavily, being brought back to its ball. Archie laughed, approaching her with a slap on the back. Maxie stepped back, astonished.

"Urk…" he straightened his glasses.

Archie held the orb under his armpit, clapping loudly while his booming laughter echoed around the room.

"Looking pretty pathetic now, aren't you? The great Maxie!"

Noel smiled victoriously.

"Ugh…" Maxie grunted.

Upon closer inspection, the battlers were inflicted with wounds from the earthquakes. Not serious, but they seemed to have a greater effect on the redhead.

"Noel…you really are powerful…" he fell to his knees.

Footsteps could be heard from the entrance to the cave. Archie continued to laugh, his face beginning to grow redder and redder with that angry passion. Maxie turned his head behind him, the others doing the same.

"You…child…" Maxie growled.

May, who had apparently been standing there for quite some time, stepped forward and next to Maxie. Archie furrowed his brows.

"Well, if it isn't my little adversary! I can't even find the words to praise you as you deserve!" he held the orb in his hands, no longer emanating a chill or a glow. "Sometimes it's best to keep things simple. All I'll say is that you've met my expectations, kid!"

Noel walked up next to her leader so she was side-by-side with him.

"I'm not just talking about today, but everything you've done up until now!" he handed the orb to Noel, who took it with a nod. "And that's why you'll be able to relish the moment of unleashing my…no…" he looked at Noel, "…our new partner with us! You'll see it first hand, before anyone else in the world!"

He and Noel turned in unison.

"THE SUPER ANCIENT POKÉMON, KYOGRE!" he raised his hands in the air, his face wearing an expression of complete euphoria. He turned to look at May. "How 'bout that? That beautiful Pokémon resting in the azure sea!"

Maxie grunted, not saying a word in response. He looked as if he knew something. Archie looked back towards the water.

"I've been awaiting this day for so long." he seemed to be talking to Noel. "Thank you for helping me make it happen."

Noel rubbed his arm supportively, letting him get back to his passionate speech.

He spoke loudly again. "We humans have disregarded Pokémon and nature both in our endless pursuit of our own desires and needs… And in the process, we've created this broken and disordered world." He clenched his fists. "But this is the day when we finally obtain the power to return everything to how it once was—to return to our beginnings!"

Noel smiled, the orb growing cold in her hands once again.

"WE CAN NOW RELEASE THAT ANCIENT POWER! THE POWER OF PRIMAL KYOGRE!" he shouted.

As he turned, his triumphant smile turned into a frown.

"And now, you are the last token of resistance that's trying to ruin my day." he smiled again, red in the face. "I will use everything my team and I have to crush you once and for all!"

Noel looked at May's arm, gasping at what she saw. May wore a bracelet embedded with a Key Stone.

"Look at that, Noel." he cracked his knuckles. "It looks like you aren't the only one who knows how to use Mega Evolution." he grabbed and yanked his golden anchor. "THIS IS THE TRUE POWER OF MY TEAM!" he stomped and dug one leg front into the ground, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

The spirit of battle that ran through Archie radiated off of him, spreading throughout the whole cave. While he and May took up their battle space, Noel moved away, backing up to another section of the basin. Maxie was still on the ground, the pain of defeat in his face. Sighing, she outstretched her hand and helped him up, the two of them getting away from the battlefield. Archie shouted orders at his Mightyena while May shouted at her Exploud. Noel's eyes twinkled as she watched the exuberance flow off of her partner, bringing an accomplished smile to her face. A power surged through her. They were going to win. Their goal was going to be met. Noel's smile stretched across her face as May's Exploud went down, almost fainting. Maxie looked over at her and narrowed his eyes. He didn't say anything, just merely looked at her.

"You can do it, Archie…" she whispered to herself. The orb began to glow even brighter with her words. "I believe in you…"

Maxie's eyes widened behind his glasses. There was a sudden chill in the air and it was emanating from Noel's hands. Noel gripped the orb tightly, as if it was some sort of lifeline. Her heart raced watching her leader fight for what he believed in. Her heart skipped when Mightyena went down.

_Don't stress, it's okay. He isn't going down so easily._

He brought out a Muk next, to her surprise.

"I don't usually use Muk in front of the ladies…" he winked in Noel's direction, making her blush.

May's second Pokémon was a Gallade. Her heart skipped a beat again, knowing that Gallade was half fighting and half psychic type. She bit her lip, anxious to see the outcome of this match-up. As predicted, Muk went down quickly. May left her Gallade out, which was to Archie's advantage as he brought out his Crobat.

"Go, underwear, go…" she whispered.

"What?" Maxie raised an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't know." she frowned. "You killed the joke."

Maxie, feeling the chill in her voice, said nothing in response.

Crobat's Acrobatics took out Gallade in a jiffy, its type advantage paying off in the end. Archie's teeth were blazing white, his fierceness showing through his smile. May brought out a Walrein, sending a chill through the air. Noel didn't think much of the chill, she was confident that Archie could wipe this overgrown walrus out of the water. Crobat's Poison Fang wasn't effective in poisoning its target, Walrein's Thick Fat being too protective. Crobat was taken out with a Blizzard and that was that. Her eyes widened.

_No…it can't be…_

Finally, it was a battle between the most ferocious. It was Sharpedo versus Blaziken. Confidently, Archie raised his anchor and activated the key stone, triggering the evolution within his Pokémon. May lifted her wrist, pressing the stone within her bracelet. Her Blaziken didn't undergo much change, it just looked faster and more agile, growing more intense flames from its arms. Archie laughed as Sharpedo's Aqua Jet took Blaziken off guard. With Sharpedo's Rough Skin, more damage would be dealt much faster. However, Blaziken grabbed Sharpedo with its one hand, using the other for a Sky Uppercut.

"That bitch…" she growled. "You fucking stole that from me…"

Sharpedo lost its kilter, but swung back around to Archie to rebalance itself. The damage from the Uppercut was blatantly apparent, but Sharpedo toughed it out. Sharpedo grabbed hold of Blaziken's arms with a Crunch attack, Archie smiling to himself. Archie commanded Surf, using a technique he had learned from Noel as well. Sharpedo dug its teeth into Blaziken and, using the wave of water, pushed it along the ground, its face picking up bits of the ground and being swarmed with water. Noel smiled wide. Her technique was being put to use successfully; she could tell that Blaziken was weakening. However, just when Noel thought Archie had it in the bag, Blaziken flipped itself over, performing a Thunder Punch. Noel's smile sunk, her eyes wide and almost afraid as Sharpedo flew into the air and landed at Archie's feet, fainted.

 _No…no…_ She gripped the orb.  _He was defeated? By a…by a puny teenager? Archie?_

"Archie…" her knees felt weak. "Archie lost…?"

He returned his Sharpedo. "Like I figured." the confidence hadn't left his voice, despite the defeat.

Noel looked at the orb in disbelief. Gulping down a lump in her throat, she approached her leader with sunken eyes, trying to look positive. His face was growing redder and redder like he was about to explode. He started with a slow chuckle, but as he continued, his body shook with laughter, loud booming laughter that could have torn the Earth apart.

"Perfect! You're as great as any lil' hero trying to save the world oughta be!"

Noel's stature lifted when he continued.

"BUT THIS CHANGES NOTHING!" he took the orb from Noel. "I CAN'T GIVE UP NOW! I CAN'T!"

 _He's so red right now… He must be fueled by the rage of interference…_ Noel thought.

"I WILL use the power of the Blue Orb to awaken Kyogre! Then I'll return everything in this world to what it once was, to its original, pure state!"

He and Noel, both smiling widely, turned to face the basin. Her heart was racing.

"NOW! AWAKEN KYOGRE! RETURN EVERYTHING TO THE WAY IT WAS!"

Before Archie could hold up the orb to complete the process, there was a shrill cry of his name from the entrance. They all spun around, seeing Shelly dash into the room, running past May. Noel felt her blood chill, as if a process within herself was beginning as well.

"Shelly?! What are you doing here?!" Archie questioned, grinding his teeth angrily.

"That's enough! You need to listen to reason now! And I'm talking to the both of you!" she hollered. "Can't you see that the world you're dreaming of and the world Kyogre will create are two completely different places?!"

Archie closed his eyes and smirked. "Shelly…"

Noel's heart was racing faster than a freight train and pounding harder than a gong. Her head burned with a freezing chill that most likely Archie's hands couldn't even warm. Images raced across her vision and she began thinking irrationally. She began to hear voices.

 _"_ _She's going to ruin the plan!"_

 _"_ _This can't happen, you know that!"_

 _"_ _If she derails this now, you and Archie won't fulfill your dream!"_

Archie opened his eyes again. "I always believed that  _you_  at least would understand my dreams." he turned to Noel, who in his eyes, just looked panicked. "But no. In the end, it's just you and me. Believing in each other."

Noel's hands were warmed in Archie's when he grabbed them, once again tucking the orb under his arm. Looking up at him, she didn't see the angered and powerful hurricane who had been speaking all this time. No. When she looked into his eyes, she saw the Archie that saved her life and made her feel like a human. She saw her pirate, the head of her precious team, Archie. He smiled at her.

 _Her hands are freezing…again…_ He thought.

They both turned towards the basin again. Taking a deep breath, Archie took the orb in his one hand, Noel's cold hand in the other, and spoke loudly.

"Absorb all of the power resting in this Blue Orb and reclaim yourself!" he squeezed Noel's hand. "Revert to your Primal Form!"

Maxie stepped back, eyes widened in fear. He looked at the mist radiating off of both Noel's hands and the orb, solving a puzzle that not even he could crack quick enough.

"No. That will…" he said aloud, looking at the two other females beside him.

Archie rose the Blue Orb into the air, it finally giving off its full spectrum of light. The cavern shook, rocks falling from the ceiling and into the water. Shelly backed up, but May bravely walked forward to the edge of the basin to look at what was happening. A series of yellow cracks appeared in the great beast's slumbering body, seeming to crack like a chrysalis. Suddenly, its magnificent yellow eyes popped open, sending a shudder down Noel's spine. She couldn't look away. Kyogre, now awakened, unleashed a piercing screech that made May retreat, a widened shark-like smile spreading across Archie's face. He lowered the orb, the beast jumping into the air and splashing down with brilliance. Noel couldn't stop staring at it, her skin running cold and her eyes drying out from not blinking. A blue orb of power seemed to form around the beast's body, absorbing power from its newly awakened state. A blast of water erupted into the air, drilling a hole in the ceiling, sending water and rocks down from the surface. May screamed and backed away, but Noel didn't mind risking being hit, feeling the same resolve Archie had. When it looked like Kyogre should have sped away, it remained still, exciting Archie even more.

"At last…" he let go of Noel's hand and turned around. "AT LAST! I'VE FINALLY DONE IT!" he slapped Noel on the back, making her turn around as well. She felt the piercing eyes of the beast stare into her back.

"It hasn't even finished reversion, and yet it has this much power!" he was referring to the water now filling the basin from above. "With this, we can return everything to its natural beginning! It's time at last!"

Noel heard a series of subtle whispers creep into her mind. She turned to glance at Kyogre.

 _"_ _Will you come to douse my flame?"_

 _"_ _It was all your fault."_

 _"_ _Father like daughter."_

 _"_ _What the heart wants."_

"What…what have you done…" Shelly sounded cripplingly defeated.

Archie's transmitter rang and he turned to answer it.

"What is it? Oh, so the great deluge has begun." he laughed. "Of course it has! That's exactly what I have—"

He was interrupted by jabbering on the other line, making his eyes widen.

"What? What do you mean it's far more than we thought?!" he turned to look at Kyogre. "So if it undergoes Primal Reversion…" he swallowed. "Just keep an eye on it!" he hung up.

Shelly walked over to Archie. "What's going on outside?"

"All that matters is…" he clenched his fists. "Is that we've used the orb to awaken Kyogre. And now…the world will return to its natural state…" he sounded doubtful, almost worried.

Maxie stepped forward. "You fucking idiot."

Maxie startled everyone in attendance.

"You've made a grave error in estimating Kyogre's powers."

"What did you say?" Archie sounded offended.

"The 'beginning' you two lovebirds have rambled on about…the one Kyogre will create… It will put everything on this Earth to death first." he cleared his throat. "This creates only an inescapable despair that cannot be withstood. That is all you two have brought us."

Noel shivered, thinking that surely Maxie had to be wrong. Their objective was the right thing…it had to be!

"This comes with the madness of thinking that you could ever control the super-ancient Pokémon's power."

Shelly glared holes through Noel's body. "I knew it."

Feeling doubt swell in her leader, she tried to catch his eye in order to say it would all be alright. His eyes looked pained and confused.

"We need to get out of here. Eventually all of that water will fill this cave and flood it. Archie, just admit you were wrong! We need to leave!" Shelly went to grab Archie's arm.

 _T A K E   T H E   O R B._ Growled a demonic voice in Noel's mind.

"NO!" Noel screamed at the top of her lungs, whipping the orb from Archie's hands.

All looked at her in shock as she dashed to another section of the basin, staring at the orb with a raw emotion that shouldn't be felt by man. A piercing cold entered her person, but a burning pain came along with it. Raw energy blasted through her body, giving off a brilliant white light that blinded everyone else in the room. A burst of aura blasted from Noel and the orb, sending everyone into the air and onto the ground. Blood and blackness obscured her vision, her consciousness eventually fleeing her and leaving only her vessel behind.

 

 

**Archie**

"Noel…!" Archie covered his head as rocks came crashing down from the ceiling.

"It's no use Archie!" Maxie shouted, a loud ringing now plaguing their ears.

When the light dimmed, there was a clatter and a rolling sound. Archie opened his eyes to see Noel standing with her back to him, the blue orb no longer shining and on the ground by her feet. She was twitching in an inhuman way, an inaudible span of words escaping her mouth at alarming speeds. He got to his feet, looking at Kyogre first. Its eyes were closed, its markings had disappeared. Heart beating fast, he tried to walk towards her. The rumbling in the cavern continued, as if there was an almighty force crumbling the universe around them.

"Archie, stop! You don't know what's happening!" Maxie stood.

"What do you mean…? Noel's right there…" he stopped and turned around.

"Shelly, you and the child escape. Now." Maxie ordered. "This is beyond your control. Get to the surface."

Shelly nodded and took May with her. Maxie approached Archie and watched as Noel walked back and forth, front and back without stopping, all with her back turned.

"How long have you had that orb?" Maxie asked.

"About a week. Why?"

"Have you noticed anything off about Noel? Has she been…in a trance when in the same room as the orb?"

Archie looked down at his feet in wide eyes, thinking of all the instances where he's needed to snap her out of something. The first time was on Mt. Pyre. The other most recent times were that day. He remembered what Hyde said about the orb's behavior at night. As he put more and more clues together, his eyes widened and his hands shook.

"Her nightmares…" he whispered. "But what exactly is this?! I'm sure if I talk to her, she'll be fine!"

"Noel has a weakened psyche. She thinks irrationally due to the scenarios that have played out in her life. Archie, some of this is my fault for damaging her even more."

Archie grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "You put her best friend in a hole in the ground, you fucking bastard!"

"The orb holds Kyogre's consciousness. If around one with a weakened psyche like Noel, it can manipulate very easily. This is another reason why it's dangerous to temper with a super-ancient Pokémon. I came to the conclusion too slowly…I'm sorry."

Archie let him go and walked forward toward Noel. "Noel!"

"You idiot…" Maxie uttered.

Archie approached Noel and touched her shoulder. Her skin was colder than a block of ice. She was breathing heavily.

"Agh…hhh…guhhh…" she growled out.

"Noel…? It's me, Archie…"

"AAAAGGGGHHHH!" Noel screamed, turning to face Archie, clearly aggravated.

Archie jumped back in fear. "Noel?!" his eyes lowered to her chest, widening when he saw what he did.

Her stitches had been torn open, blood pouring out and staining her clothes. A bright white line formed under her eyes, leading from the lower brim to her chin. They extended down her arms, another going straight down her chest and appearing again on her stomach, that one leading to an insignia that looked too familiar. Kyogre's markings were lining Noel's body, and he was sure that if he uncovered her forehead of hair, he'd find more. He couldn't stop staring into her eyes, her white, soulless eyes. Archie stepped back, horrified.

"N…Noel…?!"

She charged at him, hands grabbing a hold of his chest and throwing him across the room. He rolled on the floor, coughing up dirt as he came to a stop. He stood up quickly, hearing her footsteps. Her cries weren't human, they weren't Noel. She swiped at him, trying to claw him. As she screamed, water in the ceiling continued to pour in from the surface, the basin beginning to flow over onto their ground. Noel's feet splashed in the water as she ran. The raw power that had surged through her was beginning to rip her apart. The more she bled, the more her shirt ripped, revealing the horrible scars that disfigured her chest. Archie grinded his teeth and tried to think of a plan. She screamed at him.

"OURDREAMWILLBEACCOMPLISHEDOURDREAMWILLBEACCOMPLISHEDOURDREAMWILLBEACCOMPLISHEDOURDREAMWILLBEACCOMPLISHEDOURDREAMWILLBEACCOMPLISHED" she spoke quickly, speech only coming to a halt when she lurched forward.

"NOEL!" he grabbed her and threw her, feeling horrible when the blood splashed on his face.

She rolled on the ground, blood staining the water that began rising to her toes. When she got up to charge again, both of them were surprised when Maxie tackled her back to the floor. He held her arms down as she tried snapping her teeth at his throat. He stood up, got off of her, looked down at her soulless eyes, and kicked her in the jaw. Archie screamed when he saw this. He ran forward and tried to force him to stop, but Maxie kicked him between the legs, knocking him down. Maxie continued to kick Noel in the head, her growling becoming a gurgling as she drooled out her own blood. He picked her up and threw her, pinning her against the wall when she tried to stand up.

"NOEL, YOU NEED TO STOP!" Maxie shouted.

She hissed in his face, spraying blood on his glasses. He wiped them.

"NOEL, YOU AREN'T LIKE THIS! YOU AREN'T A MONSTER!" he shouted, kneeing her in the stomach. "THIS ISN'T THE SCIENTIST I MET IN LILYCOVE! THIS ISN'T THE WOMAN WHO FOUGHT FOR HER TEAM'S AMBITIONS!" he threw her to the side, watching her roll through the water. "THIS IS MY FAULT! I MADE YOU THIS WAY!" she held her head, clearly hearing him. "I'M SORRY! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Archie stood, the whiplash from Maxie's kick wearing off. He ran forward once again to help Noel, but had to jump out of the way of a falling rock. Noel was screaming her head off, the vibrations in the cavern getting more intense. At this rate, not only would the cavern flood, but the ceiling would cave in as well. Noel stood, her front covered in blood and her beautiful outfit torn in all possible ways. She looked beaten, she looked miserable. Noel charged and was able to make contact with the redhead, clawing his face and drooling. Archie grabbed Noel by her legs, dragging her away from Maxie. He then enveloped Noel in a crushing hug and winced when she used her teeth to scratch and bite. Her arms were almost useless, one of them hanging limp.

"NOEL!" Archie screamed. "STOP IT! PLEASE!"

She continued to chomp into Archie's skin, making him cry out in pain, but he still held on tight. They both fell to their knees in pain.

"REMEMBER WHEN WE LOCKED EYES AT DINNER!" he pleaded. "REMEMBER WHEN WE RODE ON SALAMENCE FOR THE FIRST TIME!"

"Arrcccchhhh…AAAHGHHHGHHHHGGGH…." she panted as if preparing to try to fight again.

"Noel…" he held her head close to his shoulder, even though that was a terrible idea. "Krys wouldn't want this…"

She seemed to gasp and convulse, as if his words were reaching her. However, she screamed into his body and shook violently, punching him with her good arm.

"Your father wouldn't want this either…" he cried tears of pain, as he was now bleeding from his wounds.

"DAH…DD…YYYYY…" she groaned.

"NOEL, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" he pleaded. "COME BACK TO ME! COME BACK TO SHELLY AND MATT AND THE TEAM! COME BACK TO HYDE!"

"H…HYDE…" she sounded somewhat normal, able to get a name out correctly.

"Remember what he did for you…he saved your life, Noel…he saved your life…remember what he said to you…you promised him you'd come home safely…!"

The water had enveloped their legs. Noel stopped punching Archie and let her arm fall.

"Hy…Hyde…" she whispered. "Arch…ie…" she moaned painfully.

From the water, Kyogre's body rose the surface, light coming back to its markings.

"Remember…" he whispered into her berry smelling hair, now tainted with salt water and blood.

A tune came from her vocal cords that he had only heard one time. A dull tone, a tired tone, but a melody that he remembered. Her mouth was agape, her soulless eyes half-closed, but staring into Archie's blood soaked shoulder. She was humming.

"Noel…" he held her close. "Noel, please…"

Her body shook, a dull cry coming from her mouth. She tilted her head back and cried tears of anguish, wailing at the ceiling. Eventually she rose her good arm and gripped Archie's wetsuit, sobbing into it like it were a blanket or a pillow. Archie rubbed her back and cried with her.

"Noel…Noel, I'm right here…"

Her body slowly went limp, falling into him, her cries slowly stopping. His eyes widened in fear and he shook her a bit.

"Noel?!" he shouted.

Kyogre opened its eyes, its markings only half restored, and used a pillar of water to raise itself to the surface. It left Archie sitting there, staring at the beast he awakened in awe and terror.

"Kyogre noticed a weakness in the link and fled." Maxie said from behind him. "It's gone to restore its full power of Primal Reversion."

Archie stood, adjusting Noel's body in his arms. Her chest slowly rose and fell, indicating that she was still alive. The insignias from her body had not left yet, meaning she was still possessed. Maxie looked around. He was holding the blue orb.

"Keep the orb with her. If it begins to glow, that means Kyogre's consciousness is leaving her body. For now, let's get the fuck out of here."

They ran at full speed out of the cavern and up the stairs, past the rocks and through the currents. Archie kept his eyes on Noel, scared, pained, and confused. This was the second time where he had her in his arms like this, having her so close to death. Maxie kept a hold of the orb until they reached the beach where the submarine was located. Breathing heavily from the running, Maxie placed the orb with Noel in Archie's hands.

"Archie, you're bleeding from your neck and chest." he informed.

"I'm well aware, you fucking bastard. She went chow time on me." he walked towards the submarine.

"I will meet you at the surface. There is a sand bar where I believe the others are waiting."

Archie draped Noel over his shoulder, one handedly climbing the ladder and up to the roof of the submarine, pulling open the hatch. He threw the orb in, not caring if it shattered or not, and slowly lowered himself in, careful not to bump Noel's head or body. When the hatch was closed and they were safely inside, he set Noel on the floor on her back. He grabbed some towels from a gym bag they brought and propped her head up with them. She was bleeding really badly and her left arm was broken, almost an open fracture. The left side of her face was black and blue from where Maxie kicked her, blood dried onto her face and lips. Archie held back tears, knowing he needed to get out of the area and up to the surface where everyone was waiting. He took her Pokeballs and prayed that the Pokémon she raised remained healthy and stable, tucking them onto his own belt. He spoke to them, apologizing. He was afraid.

"I need…" he approached the seat. "I need to get us up there… Hang on, Noel…"

He pressed buttons and pulled levers, the mighty vessel lowered into the water until completely submerged. He navigated the ship out the same hole they had drilled through, gripping the controls intensely. He led the ship upward, breaking to the surface as quickly as they had left. Seeing the sand bar that Maxie was talking about, he grabbed Noel and the orb and climbed out once again, jumping onto land with the others. Shelly turned and gasped when she saw Noel. May didn't say a word, standing and watching clouds and thunder loom over the region. Maxie surfaced from a much smaller sub, stepping out and complaining about the wetness. There was a torrential downpour, rain pounding against the faces of all in attendance. The drops felt like hail as they struck their faces. Archie walked forward to join the group, their sandbar being completely surrounded by deep water, only getting deeper from the heavy rain. The orb wasn't glowing, very much to his dismay. Maxie approached Archie, his face bleeding from the visual scratches Noel had left on his face.

"Archie, what you saw back there…"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH, WHY DID YOU NEED TO BEAT HER UP LIKE THAT?!" Archie lurched forward threateningly.

"I thought it might snap her out of it. Archie, I was reaching her in there." Maxie didn't stand back.

Archie couldn't help but cry. "YOU BROKE HER FUCKING ARM! LOOK AT HER FACE! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

He stepped back, desperately searching for answers from his surroundings, searching for closure. Looking down at the sand, Maxie stepped back and joined May, who was staring intently at a figure in the sky. Shelly stepped forward, hesitantly at first, and covered her mouth in disbelief.

"What…we saw Kyogre surface…from the water…" Shelly explained.

Archie looked down at the body in his hands. "I'm such an idiot…"

"What?"

"This is all my fault…I never should have brought Noel today…I never should have let her near the orb…I should have paid more attention…" his body tensed. "Even more…I brought this destruction upon the world…I caused this…" he looked up at the sky.

"Archie, don't say that. We can…we can…" Shelly felt Noel's icy skin.

"We can what?" he held Noel close. "What if…what if…"

Another voice joined the attendance, crying May's name as it approached. Archie's blood began to boil, recognizing the voice from television and from the newscasts. He looked up to see a Skarmory carrying a silver haired man in a black suit. Archie's grip on Noel tightened. Shelly turned and understood the problem. She stood in front of Archie, trying to conceal the body in his arms. He appreciated this and thanked her silently.

"This is the power of the ancient Pokémon." Maxie said, ignoring the figure flying towards them. "Is this really how Kyogre will bring back the beginning?" he sighed. "The balance of this world is collapsing, and at this rate, it may be lost forever." he turned to May. "But please, let me fall back and watch as your…friend…joins the party."

The Skarmory landed in the sand gracefully, quickly being returned to its Pokeball at the direction of its trainer. Archie watched as Steven Stone approached May and spoke to her, not caring about the conversation whatsoever. He ticked down the seconds until he would be met with a difficult confrontation. Shelly looked nervous for the same reason.

"Who's the one responsible here?" Steven asked May, who pointed directly at Archie. Steven turned. "Of course. Team Aqua. Who else could it be?"

Shelly stood firm as Steven approached. "You have a problem there, pretty boy?"

"Move woman." Steven ordered. He narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to take the fall for your leader?"

It was obvious that Steven's 'champion ego goggles' were blocking his actual sight. Either that, or Steven was too focused on trying to solve the weather problem than easily stepping by Shelly to see the limp and possessed body in Archie's hands. Archie knew he needed to be the adult. He closed his eyes.

"No." Archie said, opening them again. "She isn't."

"Archie!" Shelly didn't turn or move.

"Shelly…stand aside, please." he ordered.

Reluctantly, Shelly stepped aside, allowing Archie to step forward. He spoke with dignity, even though his mind was floundering more than a Magikarp out of water.

"I am the man responsible for this tragedy." he spoke calmly.

Steven opened his mouth to speak, his eyes darting to the body and back up, but his eyes widened when the sight set in. His eyes traveled back down to Noel's body. He stared at the beautiful brunette hair and the pale skin she now wore. His eyes staring at the horrifying disfigurement of scars in her chest.

"No…" he whispered.

"I am the man…responsible for this tragedy…" he spoke again.

Steven's knees wobbled, hands covering his mouth as if ready to throw-up. Archie held her tighter, afraid she would be whisked from his hands.

"N…N…Noel…" he spoke through his hands. "That's…that's…impossible…"

Steven fell to his knees, not taking his eyes off of her. He was at eye level with her stomach, analyzing the markings on her body. Tears flowed from his eyelids.

"Noel…what…"

"She was possessed by the Blue Orb, the same orb used to awaken Kyogre. She's—"

"Alive…" Steven smiled and grabbed her hand.

"Don't touch her." Archie glared down at the fool of a man. "Don't fucking touch her."

"Says her captor…" he growled.

"Says her lover." he corrected.

Steven's eyes widened, throwing up onto the beach. Archie adjusted her body in his arms again, watching as she twitched. She was still in there. She was toughing it out like a real champion. Her wound had stopped bleeding, but it was still nasty.

"L…lover… You…?" Steven stood up again. "You caused an apocalyptic event…you put my Noel in danger…" he was growing enraged. "You took her from the world she loved! YOU CORRUPTED HER!"

"I love her." he spat in his face. "Now don't go making this a pissing contest, Steven Stone. As you can see, there's a fucking event happening that I have no control over. Get your fucking head out of your ass, man! I need to keep a grip. YOU need to keep a grip! I understand what you're going through right now, but fucking think! I need you to think, we all need you to think!" Archie shouted.

"Sootopolis." Maxie interrupted.

Archie felt movement in his arms and he looked down.

"That is where Kyogre is headed." he adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Stone, do you have connections in that city?"

"I do…" Steven turned away from Archie, answering with a pale face.

"Kyogre must be making its way to the Cave of Origin, the core of the Hoenn region. That place holds the power needed for Primal Reversion."

"Noel?" Archie watched as her markings began to glow. "Oh Arceus…"

"Ghhh…huuuhhhhhhff…" her soulless eyes opened slowly.

"Archie." Maxie's eyes widened. "Archie, let go of her!"

"Aaaah…augh…" her hand curled into a fist, the limp arm slowly trying to move, cracking in the process.

"Noel?" Steven whirled back around, hope in his voice. He reached his arm out to her.

"STEVEN, NO!" Archie shouted, feeling the energy explode like a bomb.

Screaming, Noel leapt out of Archie's arms and attacked Steven, tearing at his chest, drooling on his surprised face before running forward, evading all others, and jumping into the water. Archie ignored the champion, diving into the water after her.

"NOEL!" Archie swam forward and was just out of reach of grabbing her.

_Her arm is broken, she can't swim! What the hell is she trying to do here?!_

She dove underwater, evading Archie's sight. Shouting, Archie dove underwater, trying helplessly to find her. The water was simply too dark, the water was too rough. Wracked with grief, he emerged to the surface, gasping for air.

"NOEL!" he shouted into the air.

Floating there, the hope drained from his face. Noel was gone, disappeared in the waves. Understanding it was no use, he swam back to the sand bar, crawling on his hands in knees in defeat. He stared at the sand and watched the water from his eyes and body drip. He cried, pounding the ground with his fist.

"She…she struck me…" Steven stood shakily. "She struck my Key Stone off of my body…the stickpin…" he picked it up and reattached it.

"She's following Kyogre." Maxie confirmed, staring off into the sea. "He's forcing her to aid it in its Primal Reversion."

"Underwater…" Archie mumbled. "She can't swim for that long…she can't hold her breath that long!" Archie cried.

"Possession is possession, Archie. Her body will brunt it with the lack of her consciousness." Maxie sighed. "We must follow her to Sootopolis."

"I agree…" Steven nodded, still quite shocked.

"Archie, you must follow. You have to."

"Noel…" he stood up, face pale and exhausted. "Noel…"

"I understand rescuing your significant other is at the utmost priority," Maxie said, "but we must also end this destruction."

Archie knew he didn't have time for any of this. He needed to get to Sootopolis. He needed to rescue the woman he loved as soon as possible. He grinded his teeth stressfully.

"It's horrible that you warped her mind into thinking that this world would be a wonderful place for people and Pokémon. You should be disgusted." Steven growled.

Archie lowered his head.

"I have a friend in Sootopolis that can help us." Steven explained. "We need to get to the Cave of Origin and discuss it from there. There's no point quarreling and agonizing about all of this here." he let out his Skarmory. Though he sounded strong, his voice sounded traumatized. "I'll see you all in Sootopolis."

Steven and his Skarmory flew off in the direction of Sootopolis, leaving all others in the sand. Archie looked at his feet.

"Child, I suggest you follow. As an adult, I must apologize for how we've acted in all of this. But you must help. Please meet us outside the Cave of Origin." Maxie nodded, letting out his Crobat.

Archie felt a hand on his shoulder, surely Shelly's. He heard her say that they had to go too.

"Yea…" he clenched his fists. "Let's go."

 

 

**Sootopolis City**

Archie had the gym bag hung over his shoulder as he and Shelly approached a gigantic tree that towered in the center of the city. The rain was still slamming onto their faces, only aiding in the wetness already accumulating in his eyes. He felt crushed and blind. He let all of this get out of control, but he needed to do his best to push forward. He needed to follow his own advice.

"Don't beat yourself up, Archie." Shelly said it for him. "We'll get Noel back."

A fire burned within him. Next to that horrible guilt was an equally strong measure to rescue Noel. He just needed to find the will in himself to forgive what he had done. He had wrapped Noel's mind into following his dreams, he felt as if he was the only reason she followed him this far. But as he made his way toward the cave marked with red insignias of Kyogre, he knew that he wasn't right. There were plenty of reasons why she had followed him. She did it for Krys. She did it to mean something to herself. His ambition was a kick-starter for Noel's confidence. Smiling to himself, he felt a rush. They crossed a footbridge and approached Maxie, who had been waiting for them.

"I see the kid and the champion haven't arrived yet." he said to the redhead.

Maxie nodded.

"Maxie…do you think she's…?"

"Alive? Oh yes, quite alive." he took his glasses off and wiped them, even though they were just going to get wet again.

"Really?"

"Why even ask, Archie?" Maxie put his glasses back on. "Kyogre needs her alive if it's going to undergo Primal Reversion."

"Why did Kyogre do this…?" Archie asked.

"To ensure that it would be granted awakening. It just needed a distraction…and that was Noel."

"Archie, this is the girl that swung you onto her Salamence in mid-air with her own two hands. This is the girl who fought for adminship from you. Hell, Archie, she's stared death in the face like it's her occupation." Shelly looked at him. "She'll make it out of this alive."

Shelly was right. He stood side by side with his friend, also alongside the redheaded fool that he needed to count on right now. He saw the familiar faces of May and Steven approach, along with a not-so-familiar face. He wore white in a strangely cut fashion, wearing his hair an elegant blue color. He looked very suave and put together. His eyes radiated a deep calmness, despite the situation at hand.

"Team Magma…" Steven greeted. "Team Aqua…" he narrowed his eyes in greeting.

Archie stood up straight. "We've been expecting you."

The mysterious man introduced himself as Wallace. He also described how May held in her bag, the Red Orb. He explained that it is Kyogre's opposite and can protect the wielder from Kyogre's power.

"However," Wallace looked at the gym bag. "she would need to trek underwater to where Kyogre waits."

Archie felt like he was being stabbed. It hurt his pride that he needed to rely on a kid to clean up his mess, but he knew there was no other ulterior. He handed the bag to Shelly.

"This is the Aqua Suit…" Shelly revealed a diving suit. "We've been developing it on the side for when awakening Kyogre would come about, just in case, but it seems you need it now." she handed it to May, who looked it over.

"This'll fit me?" she asked.

Shelly rolled her eyes. "This high-performance protective suit was made with the combined technology of the Devon Corporation and Team Aqua. You'll be able to dive to incredible depths and communicate with us to a certain point. I'm leaving it to you."

"You're sure that you'll make it to Noel…?" Archie asked.

Wallace observed his face. "You care for this woman quite a bit, don't you?"

Archie lowered his head. He thought of her smile and her hair, her eyes and her giggle.

"I do…" he nodded.

"Do not fear." Wallace walked to the entrance, placing his hand on the door. "The Red Orb will quell the power of Kyogre. Sir, do you have the Blue Orb with you?"

"Aye." he took it from the bag, light and lifeless.

"We will monitor it from the surface. You will be the first to know when Kyogre has been defeated, the possession concluding. The orb will light up as it had before. For now, you must trust this trainer."

"I'm sorry, kiddo…" he looked at May. "I'm sorry you need to do this…but please… Save her…"

May took a bit to answer, as if she was thinking about all of this, analyzing her possible options. She nodded.

"I'll rescue her for you."

Archie nodded in thanks. He didn't say anything more to her.

"Are you ready, May?" Wallace asked.

She nodded while putting on the diving suit. Wallace opened the doors for her, torch light being emitted from the inside. They wished her luck as she was swallowed by the mouth of the cave. Archie held the orb in his hands and watched it, only able to wait. He turned and watched the doors close behind her. Steven walked up behind him and growled.

"I expect her to return home after all of this madness is over."

Archie laughed. "No."

"What?" Steven widened his eyes in amazement.

"She'll come home to her family."

"Her family is in Mossdeep." Steven said.

"Her family is waiting for her at home with his Manectric and his science lab. Her family is waiting at home watching all of this on TV like a bunch of nuts. Her family is at home doing push-ups like a madman. Her family is standing here right beside me…" Archie smiled to himself. "You aren't anything to her…"

As if he was punched in the gut, Steven stepped back. Wallace stood there, cerulean eyes resting on Archie's face.

"But her family is also lying in a grave in Lilycove." he looked at Maxie, who winced when he heard it. "Her family is within the confines of a cemetery. Her family isn't all here, but that's why she'll come out those doors in one piece. She's living for them…she'll come back to us…to a happy home…"

Wallace smiled and lowered his head.

 

 

**May**

The Cave of Origin was barren and empty, very much like the caves beneath Route 128. She walked forward with confidence, walking down each staircase with a positivity that would get her through this ordeal.

"Why do I need to do this…I just wanted to go to the Pokémon League…" she whispered.

A screeching could be heard from the depths of the cave, making her break out into a cold sweat. Of course she was terrified, she was only a teenager. Teenagers were supposed to be at home watching TV and playing with their Pokémon, not saving the world from an evil whale capable of possessing people. That shit was fucked up.

"And I don't even know this woman and I have to save her." she scoffed. "Steven can't do anything right, besides get search parties and information when it's needed."

The screeching got louder. May's hands were beginning to get sweaty. She calmed her nerves by thinking about more trivial things.

"At least I only need one more badge." she smiled. "Then I can get to Ever Grande…then I can defeat Steven." she blushed. "Maybe."

There was a blackness that even wiped out the lights of the torches. A powerful aura could be felt from deep in the hole. Kyogre was down there. A static went over the earpieces in the headgear of her diving suit.

 _"_ _Kid, I can hear everything you're saying."_  Archie sounded offended. " _You need to go down to it. You can do it."_

May felt a 'whoops' come over her lips when he talked. Taking a deep breath, she descended into the lower depths of the cavern. There was a large expanse of water that seemed to go miles and miles below the surface. Waiting for her in the water was Kyogre, staring intently at her.

"Archie…it's staring at me…" she shivered at its piercing stare.

 _"_ _Approach it. It isn't gonna hurt you, kid."_  he eased.

She walked forward, another thing catching her eye. Her eyes widened.

 _"_ _Kid, you sound scared. Your breathing picked up a lot. What is it?"_

"She's…sitting on its head…staring at me…"

 _"_ _She?!"_  he sounded more alert.  _"Is it Noel?!"_

"Y…yea… But she doesn't seem to be reacting to me. She's just…sitting."

Archie sounded preoccupied, talking to someone else _. "Yea. So…"_  he was quiet.  _"Okay. I'll tell her. Kid? Don't be afraid of her. She's unable to actually see you; she's in a trance right now. That's what Maxie said. So jump onto the beastie's back, it'll be okay."_

"Can't I just grab her and get her out?"

 _"_ _No. You need Kyogre to take you down there so it can finish Reversion. Once Reversion is finished, it'll let Noel go. Tricky bastard…"_

Kyogre slowly turned, its tail splashing in the water. Its back was now to her. Clenching her fists, she got a running start and leapt onto its back, it letting out a screech when she was on board. Noel leaned forward and held onto it as well. Slowly, they descended into the darkness of the water. May had no idea how deep they were going, but the speakers were starting to go fuzzy.

" _Kzzt…kzzt…Kid? Kid can you hear me? Kzzt…you must be…too deep…kzzzzzzt."_

"Archie?" she said, looking around at the darkness of the water, hearing nothing. "Shit."

There was a bright glint coming from the other passenger, surprising May. Upon closer inspection, it was a Key Stone clasped in an earring. Bubbles came from Noel's mouth, showing that there clearly was air still inside of her body, but they eventually vanished. Thinking she was going to let go from this, May scooted forward to maybe catch her, but Noel turned her head slowly and looked into her eyes with a ghastly stare. May froze, blood running cold. Gripping onto Kyogre tight, Noel slowly climbed up to her and stared through the glass front of the headwear. She mouthed something.

"Ar…chie…" May gasped after forming the word. "Could she hear Archie?"

Noel, still staring at May's face, seemed to understand her, forcing a nod. Kyogre screeched, forcing her to turn around and sit like she had before.

"Archie…if you're there…she can hear you…"

Kyogre swam further and further down until they finally reached another cavern. It swam up to the surface, allowing May to get off. She dashed off of that beast without thinking twice, scared that she might get gobbled up alive otherwise. Around her there were gems of all sorts of colors, shining and glistening, reflections being made in the water. One stalactite in particular had the same symbol as the one on the blue orb. A pulse swept through the cavern as if a shift in energy was beginning. May ditched the diving suit; she wouldn't need it for a while. Like a zombie, Noel fell off of the beast and onto the ground. She stood, clearly not affected, and stared at the stalactite. Another pulse swept through the air. With a mighty screech, Kyogre was enveloped with a blue orb of energy that seemed to be created by the crystals all around them. A similar energy was being radiated off of Noel, a power that seemed to break her body in half as the markings on her body shot off beams of light. It was as if they were transforming at the same time. Noel levitated in the air, a stream of energy being sucked from her like it was a vacuum. Suddenly, the symbol of the stalactite was born on the energy ball being created around Kyogre. The energy ball then shattered, a new Kyogre splashing into the water. Noel, in turn, was sent plummeting to the ground. With a THUD she landed, the markings gone and her eyes closed. She gasped for air, but soon returned to a somewhat stable breathing.

"So this…this is Primal Kyogre…" May whispered, grabbing a Pokeball. "Okay…here we go!"

 

 

**Noel**

Blackness. Noel was sitting in a land of darkness, unable to feel her left arm or parts of her ribcage. Her jaw also hurt, it cracking if she tried yawning or shouting. It was quiet, an occasional splash being heard from somewhere in that no-man's-land. Noel didn't want to stand. She didn't quite have the energy. She could hear Archie sometimes, which made her cry, but she had nowhere to go. There was nowhere to find him. There wasn't any warmth inside of her body, her heartbeat sending a chill every time it pumped her blood to her veins. Breathing was even cold. The world was desolate. The world was dark. The world was sad.

"Why…why am I here…?" she whispered.

Footsteps could be heard somewhere, but she didn't want to go to them. There was suddenly the urge to swim, the urge to fly, and the urge to eat, all at the same time. She growled at the world. She couldn't stand pitying herself.

"What was…" she talked aloud to herself. "Did we achieve our goal…?"

Thinking about the cavern, she cried, her tears pooling on the black ground she laid upon. Archie's smile danced in her vision, but it hurt to try and call out for him. She felt like there was a force holding her down, sucking the energy from her body. She closed her eyes and sobbed. She sobbed for a long time, moaning to herself sadly about how she missed Archie. About how she missed Krys. About how she missed her team. After lying there for so long her back was becoming sore, making her sit up and look around again. Her body felt strange, having so many places feel numb at the same time. The worst was her chest. It felt as if a black hole were parting her body and soul apart from the sternum. Feeling it, there was nothing, as anticipated.

"I'm alone…" she whispered pitifully, closing her eyes.

Footsteps could be heard from behind her.

"My dear child…you are never alone." a familiar voice answered.

Her eyes popped open.

"Look at your hair…my dear, you're black and blue all over the place. What did you do?" the footsteps walked around to her front.

She stared at the person's feet, slowly making her eyes look up as they kneeled down in front of her.

"I thought I told you to be careful when you were traveling. Why don't you ever listen to people?" he moved the hair from her face. "And look at that, you've cut your face."

Her voice shook. "D…"

"What? Is there something on me?" he sounded somewhat alarmed.

"Daddy…" tears streamed down her face.

She broke into tears, jolting her body forward and hugging the black haired man with the cut on his eye. She cried into his black shirt and felt him hug her. He rubbed her back, telling her that it was okay. She looked up at him.

"You still have those fucking wrinkles…"

"Hey!" he covered his eyebrows. "Don't be rude."

She laughed, continuing to cry into her father. He smiled.

"I miss you…I miss you so much…" she whispered.

"I know you do, dear." he stood her up. "Let me look at you, please…let me see how you've grown."

Noel stepped back, wiping her face so she wouldn't appear to be a sad, crumbled wreck. She laughed when he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Nice tan there." he looked at her ears. "You've got the bling."

"They…they were my friend's…" she held onto one.

"Your friend? Oh, darling, tell me about her." he crossed his arms.

"She…" she sniffed. "She saved me…she found me on the beach that night and took me back to Team Aqua…she became my bunkmate. She was very nice, very caring. We shared food, clothes, and stories. I let her fly with me on Salamence…" tears streamed down her cheeks. "She was with me on my first mission. I valued her so much as my friend…I trusted her…" she smiled sadly. "But she was killed…saving my life…"

"Do you hate yourself for it?" he asked, wiping her tears.

"I do…I really really do…." she cried.

"Well, don't. Krys still loves you anyway." he told her.

"Krys…" she looked surprised.

Not saying anything more, he looked at her chest. "You dug into your chest… Why?"

She looked down and saw the gaping hole where the stone had been for six years of her life. It looked disgusting.

"I needed…I needed…" she clenched her fists.

"Don't bother. I know why…" he crossed his arms. "I would have done the same thing if it were you the one…" his eyes darkened. "I'm so sorry, Noel…"

She felt the Key Stone in her fingers. "I miss you…"

"I know you do."

"But why are you here? Am I…" her eyes widened. "Am I dead…?"

"No, no. Thank Arceus, you aren't dead. You're merely adrift." he explained.

"Adrift…?"

He placed his hands on her shoulders and closed his eyes, concentrating.

Noel suddenly couldn't breathe, as if her lungs were filled with water. As she coughed, she could see a different darkness. Salt burned her eyes, but something held her back from crying out.

"My dear, what can you see?" she heard her father.

"Am I in water…?"

"Good…what can you hear?"

It was muffled, but she knew what she heard.

 _"_ _Kid? Can you hear me? You must be…too deep…"_

"Archie!"

"Good. Keep a hold of it. Try to move."

Her body in water turned around to see the female trainer in the Aqua Suit. At first she was angry, but that's when she realized that May was afraid. She moved closer to May and said Archie's name again, feeling disconnected from her sight and movements.

"Ar…chie?" she heard May say. "Can she hear Archie…?"

As Noel nodded, a shock flew through her body, the alternate, water-logged self being zapped away, a pain filling her head. She was back in the void with her father, who was standing there with a concerned expression. She looked around again.

"What was that?" she asked.

"As I said…you are adrift. Your consciousness is fleeting into the veil. That is how I am able to reach you here." he explained.

"What's happening out there?!" she asked, panicked.

"I don't know." he admitted. "But I know you will wake up, my dear."

"But that means…" she whispered.

"You will reunite with Archie." he smiled.

"But…you…" she started tearing up again.

"Are no longer alive." he said sternly. "And my dear, you need to live. You need to live for me. You are my daughter and I love you." he hugged her tightly.

A pain made her convulse, also making her gasp. His grip tightened on her.

"My dear…it is time I leave you again."

"No…daddy no…" she cried.

"I am so proud of you." he told her with a smile.

The pain spider-webbed throughout the rest of her body, her heart throbbing with a depressed pain and sadness that wrecked her. But at the utterance of those words, she smiled. She looked up at her father and told her she loved him. The blackened world began to shrink, sending a shiver down her spine. Was she…leaving?

"I love you, I love you…" she cried as if she would never say it again.

"Now please, Noel…wake up." he uttered sadly.

 

 

**Noel**

"Hey!" a voice came from a cloudy mass of pain and sleep. "Noel, hey! Hey, hey." there was a slapping on her face. "Noel, come on. Rise and shine."

Her eyes opened to see May, dirtied and exhausted face lined with fear and worry. Her eyes lit up when Noel responded.

"Hey there…good to see you. Can you talk?"

She coughed instead.

"Great, not at all." she dug through her bag, getting a breathing device out. "This is a kind of scuba tank. Steven gave it to me."

Noel was confused as to what was going on. She furrowed her brows and tried sitting up.

"Hey, hey, hey! No! Lie down, right now." she stopped her, lying her back down. "I don't know if you can tell, but you're a bloody mess. Literally, this is gross. Your arm looks mega-broken. You've got bruising around your stomach, so I have no clue what's going on in there. Your chest…" she shuddered.

Noel turned her head to see Kyogre, eyes closed and in a hardened shell.

"Kyogre's asleep now. You don't need to be afraid anymore." May insisted. "We need to get you back to the surface."

May grabbed a Pokeball and released a Walrein. Grabbing a rope from her bag, she started talking to both her Pokémon and to Noel, carefully dragging her onto Walrein's body. She tied Noel to it carefully but securely.

"Walrein, you need to take Noel, okay? You're sturdy enough to carry her. Just be gentle, okay?"

Walrein nodded and allowed Noel to be tied onto it.

_This girl…defeated Kyogre…_

"M…May…" she coughed.

Alarmed, May bent down and grabbed a rag from her bag, blood spilling from Noel's mouth and nose when she spoke.

"Okay, talking is now banned for you. I need you to just…well, breathe, but don't lose any more blood. Archie and Steven are gonna kick my ass if you keel over on me."

"Th…thank you…" Noel smiled through the rag.

May's eyes shined as if she weren't expecting the thanks. "Yea…"

Noel felt her weight lighten. May attached the breathing device to her face, making sure she could breathe. Noel looked at the ceiling of the cave while feeling the Walrein's breathing against her back. May could be heard donning the Aqua Suit, which made Noel smile a little. In a way, Archie and Shelly were the ones responsible for her rescue. Noel closed her eyes, but was afraid she wouldn't be able to open them again if she did. When she did open them, May was looking at her, very concerned.

"After all this…you still have those earrings in…" May said, astounded.

Noel blinked, lifting her good arm to her ears. There were the earrings. There were no tears this time, feeling as if she didn't have a reason to cry anymore. Her heart was set at ease.

"Walrein, stay behind me and Exploud. Okay?" she heard May say. "Don't let Noel fall off."

She felt Walrein nod, along with a slow movement across the ground. As she stared at the gems on the ceiling, she understood that they were moving. Coldness surrounded her and eventually submerged her as the Pokémon entered the water. There was the slight panic of being underwater, but it slowly subsided when she knew she was able to breathe. The salt stung her eyes. She clenched them shut, but kept a hold on Walrein's body to try to calm herself down. She had no idea how deep she was, there was no telling how long she would have to endure the seawater and darkness. She had no recollection to how she got down there in the first place. All she knew was that she and Archie had awakened Kyogre, and suddenly she was awake in some cave. Her body grew used to the temperature, the shock of the cold leaving her system. She could hear Walrein communicate with Exploud, who must have been communicating with May. Hearing the voices and conversation slowed her heart down, allowing her to relax. There remained numbness in her chest as well as in her arm and stomach. Breathing was beginning to get harder, and she knew it wasn't from being submerged underwater. Communication between the two Pokémon stopped, and at first she thought it was because she had fallen asleep, but when she felt the mask being taken off she knew it was because they had reached some sort of land.

"Hey! Noel, can you hear me?" May sounded frantic.

Noel opened her eyes.

"Thank Arceus. I was talking to you for five minutes, but you weren't responding. We're almost there, just a little while longer. Okay?"

She nodded slowly, feeling sick and light.

May shouted something to her Pokémon, the speed and motion of Walrein picking up. This didn't make Noel uncomfortable for the most part, except for her arm swinging around. They were going up flights of stairs. An Exploud entered her vision, which waved at her and picked up her legs for maximum comfort. This made her smile. Torches began lining the walls as they furthered up the stairs, May shouting something that was hard for her to make out. She blinked a lot while trying to focus. Her lungs began to hurt, breathing getting harder with every inhale.

"WALLACE, OPEN THE DOOR! WE'RE HERE!" she heard May shout.

There was a loud rumbling, sunlight streaking over Noel's eyes as she recognized the heat of the day. Walrein waddled forward while Exploud lightly placed her legs down. She thanked the Pokémon as it saluted her with a grin and walked past. Her body was pulled out of the cave and into the light, Wingull and Taillow screeching while flying overhead. There were clouds dissipating from the sky. May untied the rope as a plethora of voices could be heard all around her. She opened her eyes a little more to see the faces of Maxie, Shelly, and a mysterious man with lovely blue hair wearing a smile on his face that read an emotion of satisfaction. The booming voice she loved came next.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY! NOEL?!"

Her body slid off of the Walrein slowly, still coughing despite how gentle they were all being. Archie's face could be seen darting into her vision. She smiled as her body was lifted into his arms. He was crying and saying her name over and over again.

"Archie…" she whispered, too tired to move her hand to his face.

He kissed her repeatedly, touching their foreheads together.

"I thought I'd never see you again…" he whispered, tears dripping down his nose and onto her cheeks. "I was so scared, Noel…"

Her eyes grew heavy. "Archie…" her smile stayed on her face.

"Noel? Noel, what's wrong?!"

_Just let me close my eyes…for just a little while…_

"NOEL?!" she heard him shout as her eyes closed. "NOEL! NO! NO!"

 

 

**Two Weeks Later**

Her body felt so warm. There was a soft sensation, as if she were in the most comfortable array of sleep possible. There was beeping heard somewhere to her left, but she was too lazy to open her eyes. As her mind woke up a bit more, she heard movement somewhere far away. There was some light shuffling, as if people were casually walking about where she was. Gingerly, she opened her eyes. A ceiling that had lights and no windows. A room that smelled like Oran Berries with a slight hint of seawater. Her vision was hazy, but she knew exactly where she was. She smiled weakly. There seemed to be a breathing mask on her face, supplying a clean, crisp source of oxygen to her weary lungs. She tried lifting her left arm, but she realized that it was in a sling, dozens of signatures scribbled all over it. She lowered her arm and blinked a few times, hoping that her vision would settle itself out. With luck, it did. Colors of the room filtered into her brain, now able to understand that she was indeed lying down in the infirmary. All she could remember was a lot of water, Kyogre, and Archie. She tried to remember, but she didn't want to remember. Perhaps that was a good thing. A slight tugging could be felt from the right side of her head, so she turned her head to see what was pulling her hair. Her hair was sprawled all over the bed, seeing a few small braids in the sea of her brown hair. The one responsible for these braids was sitting in a chair that looked to be too large for her to be sitting in. She had black glasses and a pale white face, her bandana clumsily tied on and her hands busy with braiding the tendrils of her locks. The grunt had a golden brown shade of hair, it reaching just below her dorsal. Noel smiled and cleared her throat. The girl looked up from her work in shock, immediately standing and giving her a salute.

"Aqua Admin! I-I'm so sorry! I was just braiding your hair while Leader Archie was going pee!" she spoke shakily.

She laughed lightly. "At ease, grunt…it's okay…I don't mind it when people play with my hair…"

"Are you sure?! I'm not bugging you, am I?!" she looked at Noel in a worried glance.

"I was just sleeping…it's no bother at all…" she assured.

The grunt sat back down and continued braiding.

Noel took the breathing mask off. "What's your name…?"

"Katelyn." she nodded at Noel.

"I haven't seen you around here, Katelyn…how long have you been in Team Aqua?" she asked, a tiredness still in her voice.

"Three weeks, ma'am. I joined the week before your big expedition to Kyogre." she answered, putting the braided strand down.

Noel blinked, not understanding. Katelyn looked up.

"You were asleep for two weeks, ma'am."

"Just call me Noel…" she told her, shocked at what she just heard.

"Okay, I'm sorry."

Noel sat up, looking at all of the decorations at her bedside table. There were cards and envelopes stacked upon each other, as well as flowers and Pokémon plushies that decorated the tables and parts of the floor. A flower crown hung above her bed. Hubbub could be heard from outside, but she didn't quite know what was happening. She lifted a red envelope first. She knew right away that it was from Maxie, considering it was the only red envelope on the table. He had written her name in a lovely cursive. She carefully opened it and slipped the paper out, Katelyn watching intently.

_Noel_

_I am hoping for your full recovery. When you receive this letter, and when, of course, you are able to walk around, I would like to meet with you somewhere peaceful. I would like to have a chat, if that is alright with you. If you'd like to decline, I wholeheartedly understand. I hope to see you soon._

_Maxie_

"What a piece of work…" she mumbled, sliding the paper away into the envelope.

Katelyn was looking around the room anxiously as if she was searching for a reason to still be in there. Noel smiled at her.

"I hope I'm not bugging you, Admin! I should be gone right now, but Archie hasn't come back yet!" she bowed her head forward in apology.

"Oh, stop it..." she waved her hand. "It's perfectly fine—"

"Katelyn I can hear you from outside! What the hell are you shouting at?!" Archie could be heard from outside the infirmary.

"Oh Arceus!" she stood up, all flustered. "I should have gotten him right away…oh dear…"

He pushed the doors open, looking official with the wetsuit and all of his excitement. However, he didn't look well, bags under his eyes and more hyper than he should have been.

"Can you tell me what—" his expression changed when he saw Noel smiling and sitting up.

"I, uh, I'll just uh…" Katelyn shifted away from Noel's bed.

"Noel…" a smile spread across his face. "Noel…" he ran forward to her bed, enveloping her in a hug as carefully yet lovingly as he could.

"Hi, Archie…" she smiled into his shoulder.

"Noel…oh, Noel…" he sounded like he was crying.

Katelyn slyly left the room without being noticed. Noel scooted over so Archie could sit with her. She hugged him awkwardly with her one arm, the other being pressed against her in its sling. He took his bandana off and gripped it tightly. She was warmer than ever, his body heat swarming all around her.

"Have you slept, Archie…?" she asked.

"Not much." he admitted. "That chair was my bed for some nights when I did. I hated to leave your side…I didn't want to leave…"

"You need to get some sleep… I'm okay now, I promise." she kissed him so he would believe her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I can't do pushups right now, but I can thumb wrestle you…" she giggled.

He squeezed her tighter. "I missed you…"

She nuzzled her head into him. "I missed you too."

"You gave us all a scare, Noel…" he rubbed her back.

"What happened to me…?" she asked.

Archie looked at her eyes and told her about how she was possessed by Kyogre. He also told her about how Maxie tried getting through to her, and about how she attacked them. He told her about her tears and what he said to her to calm her down. He told her about how May went in the Cave of Origin to rescue her. Through all of his explanation, she listened carefully while playing with his bandana. She looked at him sadly.

"I…I did that…?"

"It wasn't your fault…" he hugged her again. "Shit happens, Noel… I'm just relieved to see you awake…"

"Was this…televised?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Well, I want to see what the world is saying about me. Scoop me up, darling. I wanna watch some TV." she stated bluntly.

"Are you sure?" he asked, blinking in surprise.

"Does this look like the face of mercy?" she gestured to her face. "Please?"

Archie rolled his eyes and held her in his arms. Noel held onto his bandana tightly, wishing she could tie it on her head by herself. As they left the infirmary together, the grunts gathered around in the halls to see what was happening. Many of them smiled, seeing her awake and about. Some of them called out their names, telling her they signed her sling. She laughed and waved at them, thanking them for being there. Some clapped and whistled at Archie because of how he carried her. He didn't seem phased by it, surely their love wasn't a secret any more. She didn't see Shelly or Matt anywhere, which made her a bit concerned, but she felt better when he explained that they were busy with personal matters. She nodded in understanding. They finally reached the warp panels, Archie stepping through his and into his room.

"Why do you have three pillows?" she asked.

He smirked. "Just in case someone needs another."

She slapped his shoulder with her good hand, making him laugh. He pulled out a chair for her and sat her down, making sure she was comfortable before he sat down in the chair beside her. He turned the television on, scrolling through recorded newscasts.

"It's like you knew I would ask to watch these." she commented.

"It's like I knew you would be stubborn about it." he grinned at her.

She rolled her eyes, paying attention to the first clip, a woman clearly very surprised by the news she was reporting.

 _"_ _We have received word that the young woman presumed dead from Ocean Liner 1967, Noel Wilson, is confirmed alive by those witnessing the events in Sootopolis City. It is gathered that she was seeking refuge in the Headquarters of Team Aqua, who was responsible for the awakening of the super-ancient Pokémon, Kyogre. We confronted Steven Stone about the turn of events, but he refused an interview."_

"Steven saw me…" she breathed.

"Yea. He did." he clicked the remote.

The next man reporting was wearing an obvious toupee.

 _"_ _Noel Wilson is confirmed alive by witnesses of the amazing Sootopolis events that occurred today. She was presumed dead, but according to Champion Steven Stone, she wasn't. She was apparently possessed by the super-ancient Pokémon that she herself helped to awaken. However, one heroic trainer made her way to the very core of Hoenn to save Noel's life."_

"I need to thank her again…" she whispered. "She saved my life…"

"All of these are the same thing, in a nutshell. Steven is a whiny pissbaby, May is a hero, and we're 'criminals who nearly caused an apocalypse'. Most of all, there's a tremendous uproar about how you were alive. That seemed to be a bigger headline than us as a Team, thank Arceus."

Noel was silent for a few moments, looking at the bandana still in her hands. Archie took it from her and tied it on her head, making her smile. But she looked at her hands in a type of frustration. She felt Archie kiss her cheek.

"What're you thinking, scamp?" he asked.

"I don't feel distress, Archie. I feel at ease…but I know I need to quell the seas of those who have caused me strife…"

"You want to talk to them, don't you?" he simplified.

"Starting with Maxie." she nodded.

"Why Maxie?" he sounded angry.

"Because I'm not a monster void of forgiveness." she explained. "Besides, he sent me a letter wishing to talk to me. I'm going to take him up on his offer…so please?"

Archie was hesitant, but he nodded. "Whatever you want."

She yawned. "But for now…may I take advantage of your three pillows?"

He kissed her. "Of course you can."

 

 

**The Next Morning**

Archie had made a deal with her that they could meet with the people she needed to on one particular condition, one which she was perfectly fine with. She agreed to his terms on having a date like a regular couple, a date of going around Lilycove. She had smiled at his terms, accepting them without hesitation. While she attempted to get ready by herself, Archie contacted Maxie about it, and while she didn't know what Archie started shouting about, she knew that they had decided on a meeting place. When Archie returned from the call, she was having trouble getting her shirt on, half of it being stuck around her face, her sling clearly not assisting in the process. Archie laughed at her. She was finally able to get her shirt on with his help.

"Your chest healed quite nicely." he commented. "It's like it was never ripped open."

She peeked down her shirt, realizing that he was right. There was some significant scarring, but the tissue had healed over well enough to mask the real reason why it was there. It no longer looked like a macabre disfigurement, it looked like a healed scar.

"Do you need help with your shorts, too?" he asked.

"No, I can do it." she blushed. "Shorts aren't as hard as a shirt."

She proved herself right as she was able to get her shorts on without much difficulty. Archie clapped as if it were a spectacle.

"You look cute." he told her.

She scratched her neck, as if embarrassed. She searched for her flip-flops while Archie got dressed.

"So Archie," she started, looking at him across the room. "Where are we gonna—" she stopped.

"Hm?" he looked at her. He wasn't wearing a shirt.

She looked back to her closet floor, keeping an internal picture of what she had just seen, smile across her face.

"Nothing."

"Bullshit, nothing." the humor could be heard in his voice. "You sneaky…"

She put her flip flops on, wiggling her toes in the comfortable rubber. Looking back to Archie, he wore a blue and white striped muscle shirt with a pair of khaki shorts. He held sandals in his hand.

"Oh, hello." she slipped out.

His smile widened. "Different style for me, eh?"

"I'm not complaining I'm totally fine keep it wow YEEHAW like…" she didn't even make a full sentence.

He erupted into laughter, making her laugh too. When they finished their shared laughter, they agreed that they were ready to leave. They stepped through the warp panel together, Noel leading the way. Grunts greeted her as they passed. She waved at them and greeted them back. She made a turn at the labs, the doors opening for her. Archie waited outside, understanding that she needed time alone with him. A grumbling could be heard somewhere in the labs, making her smile. No other scientists were present, but Noel was happy about that. Rounding a corner, she could see Hyde fiddling with a machine. He had his attention on some sort of thingy inside of the machine. She smiled.

"If you're busy, I can come back later." she broke his mass of grumbles.

He stopped working and looked up, blinking behind his reading glasses.

"Noel?"

She walked over to him, tears welling, not understanding why. He enveloped her in a hug.

"I was so worried about you…" he told her.

"I'm not one to break my promises." she smiled.

He let her go, looking at her sling. "I signed it, you know."

"Is yours the one I can't see? Under my elbow?" she raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled.

"You dick." she smacked his shoulder.

"Manectric 'signed' it too. The one right over…" he was looking for it. "Here." he pointed to the one closest to her wrist.

"Aw. How nice of you two."

Their laughter died down, Hyde's eyes suddenly becoming serious.

"What happened down there?" he asked. "In the cavern with Kyogre?"

"I was possessed. That's what Archie told me…" she looked at her good hand, clenching and unclenching it.

"He told me you were able to weaken the connection." he took her hand. "You're in control now, if you're worried about that."

She closed her eyes and tried to remember. There was an image of Archie's face, wet to the bone in what must have been a mix of her blood and seawater.

"He said…" she smiled. "To come back to you safely…because I promised you I would."

His eyes widened.

"And then there was a humming." she said. "A really nice humming…"

He hugged her again, only tighter this time. She opened her eyes and returned it as best as she could.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing…" he said, rubbing her back. "Just…thank you for coming back to me this time…"

She thought she knew what he meant in the very back of her mind, so she nodded and kissed his cheek. They let go of each other.

"I won't keep you from whatever it is you're doing. Just be careful out there and I'll see you later. Okay?"

She nodded. "See ya later, Hyde." she turned to walk away.

"Remember, Noel." he stopped her with his words. "You're never alone."

This time her eyes widened. There was a wrench in her heart, but it didn't ache. She smiled and nodded, leaving him with a wave.

_I am the father that loved you dearly. This will not end 'like father like daughter'._

"Hey, scamp! How'd it go?" Archie asked when she stepped out of the lab.

"It was nice. I think he was put at ease…"

"What do you mean?" they started to walk.

"He just…looked content." she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, good. Real quick, before we go, I wanna let you see your friends." he led her to their daycare.

She smiled when her team looked through the windows. Archie held the door open for her, her team seeming to vibrate excitedly when they watched her enter the place of nurture and toys.

"Hey guys." her team nuzzled her as she began to pet them all. "Sorry I haven't seen you…or played with you…"

Salamence blew air out of its nose, telling her to shut up. She stuck her tongue out.

"But Archie and I have a date today." she winked. "So do you wanna come along or stay here and play?"

They all retreated into the play room, making her laugh out loud. Swampert was the one who remained, looking at her with concerned eyes.

"What's the matter, bud?" she hugged it. "Don't you wanna play with the others?"

It looked at her sling.

"I'll be rearing to go and battle again soon. Don't you worry your head, okay?" she gave it a cocky smile. "I'M GONNA KICK ASS AGAIN SOON! YOU WITH ME, BUDDY?!"

Swampert smiled at her and they exchanged high fives. It nodded at her and retreated to the play room with the others. Archie led her out.

"Thank you for keeping them safe…" her voice shook. "They must have been terrified…"

She was draped over his shoulder, making her pound on his back angrily.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! LET ME DOWN!"

"Not until you're done being stubborn. I'll carry you like this all I want, fight me." he smirked.

"DON'T BE MEAN!" she blushed, eventually giving up and slumping.

"I'm not. I'm cooling you off." he patted her butt. "Besides, it's fun holding you like this."

"HEY!"

He laughed his booming laugh, a laugh that couldn't keep her mad at him for even a minute. She sighed and let him carry her like this through the exit of the base. The grunt in charge fetched a boat for them to sail out on. She was finally placed neatly in the boat, a pink face still existent. Archie stepped into the boat with a smile. The grunt sailed the boat out of the cave and into the sunlight that hurt Noel's eyes at first, but she felt the warmth on her skin. Archie smiled at the sky, watching the Wingull fly over their heads. His hair blew in the light wind, which Noel was happy about. She was happy to see him so content and so happy. There were still bags under his eyes, but they weren't as noticeable as the day before. When they landed on the beach, Archie got out first so he could help Noel. He took her hand and hoisted her out, the hot sand dribbling into her flip flops when she stepped foot into it. They thanked the grunt, who sailed away with a wink. They both rolled their eyes.

"So where to first?" Archie asked, looking around the beach.

"Hmmm." she thought. "When does Maxie want to meet with me?"

"Well, by looking at the trajectory of the moon and the sun, I would say I have no fucking idea." he laughed.

"What?" she blinked.

"Kidding. In three hours." he slapped her back. "I got ya, though."

She laughed with him, taking his hand and squeezing it. They walked across the beach, Noel no longer afraid of people recognizing her or pointing her out. All she wanted was a peaceful day with Archie, and to, of course, speak with the people she needed to. She did receive stares and glances, but she just smiled. Archie seemed to be tense about the whole thing, but she calmed him down when she kissed his arm. They visited a café first, where they each had a burger with fries, raising them and shouting "water rocks!" before taking their first bites. People jumped when they heard the loudness of their voices, but it only made the couple laugh. They talked about the little things. They talked about the weather, they talked about what their favorite ice cream toppings were, and they played rock-paper-scissors to find out who would take the last fry. Archie won. However, they shared it, each of them taking an end in their mouth and eating it together. Noel bit through the fry too hard and it was then devoured by Archie.

"Damn." she smiled.

When they got up to leave, an elderly woman approached them with a blue handbag. She was up to Noel's shoulder height-wise, and her smile was familiar.

"Young lady, I don't know if you remember me…" she shook Noel's good hand.

"You look familiar…"

"You saved my life on that ocean liner, Miss Noel." she smiled. "You saved me from that terrible explosion. I owe you so much for that…but I would like to thank you." she hugged her.

Noel hugged her back. "I'm happy the Rangers got you home safely…"

"I am so relieved you are alive. You must have a guardian angel over you, my dear."

"I think I do actually." they let go of each other. "And his name is Demetrius."

The woman nodded, her eyes gentle. Archie's eyes widened.

"Ma'am, please have a wonderful rest of your day. I hope we can meet again." Noel nodded.

The woman scurried away back to an adult woman and her children. The children looked about six years of age, all of them smiling and waving at her. Noel waved back until they left the area.

_I am the innocence inside of you. I'm so proud you held on._

"Noel…you gave those kids their granny back." he said.

"Yea. I did." she nodded.

He hugged her from behind, making her smile even more.

"You wanna get some ice cream?" he asked.

"Fuck yea." she answered.

They went to an ice cream stand, both of them getting vanilla with sprinkles on top. Archie led them to a bench for them to eat their ice cream on. Noel leaned on Archie while they ate. The sun was blistering, but they had found a bench under a tree. Noel was a fast ice cream licker, doing more progress than Archie. When they were both down to the cone, Noel spoke up.

"So what did you start shouting about when you called Maxie?" she asked, crunching into her cone.

"The place he wanted you to meet him…" he crunched into his as well.

"Where does he want to meet?" she slurped the rapidly melting ice cream.

"Krys' grave." he said reluctantly.

Noel was quiet, finishing off her cone and wiping her mouth. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked out at the ocean, a wave of thoughts crowding her mind. Archie finished his cone too, wiping his mouth with his hand. He wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yea…" she whispered. "I'll be okay."

He looked at the ocean with her. She sighed, looking up at him and his sapphire eyes. She played with his scruff, making him look down.

"What's up?"

"Your face."

"Tch." he smiled.

 

 

**Krys' Grave**

The field was still beautiful, the flowers still swaying in the wind and giving off a delightful smell. The large oak tree that loomed over Krys' grave was lush with life, flowers growing at the base. A lone grave stuck up from the ground at the trunk's base, flowers displayed around it along with a picture frame. It must have been from her mother, considering it was a family photo. Noel stood at it, looking at the engraving on the stone. Her eyes grew sad, but no tears came. Maxie wasn't there yet, surprisingly late, so Noel had some time to burn. Archie sat on a rock wall, close by, just in case she needed a safety blanket. Noel's mouth slowly formed into a smile.

"Hey there, Krys…" she said aloud. "How are you?"

Archie watched from the wall, not uttering a word.

"I'm sorry we fucked up with Kyogre. I'm just happy to see your grave is still in one piece." she shrugged. "But hey. Everyone fucks up, right?" she laughed. "You were right, though. I followed my road…and though it had a big bump here and there, I'm still walking. I want to thank you for showing me where the road was." she clenched her fist. "Thank you for being my friend, Krys. I'm sorry I was a stubborn fool after you died. My head was cloudy, my head felt guilty. It took me too long to realize that it's okay. It wasn't my fault…" she took a deep breath. "Thank you for saving my life, Krys. I can never repay you, but then again, maybe you're standing behind your grave laughing at me because my arm is in a sling. You'd tell me to stop my complaining and give him a kiss." she gestured to Archie on the wall. "Well, look what happened. Your prediction was right. Your ship has sailed!" she laughed loudly. She kneeled down and showed the picture her earrings. "Thank you for staying close to me forever."

She felt like the picture smiled back, making her smile and stand back up.

_I was an accidental murder. I'm happy you didn't let it control your life._

There was a golf clap from behind her, making her turn around. Maxie stood there with a straight face, approaching her with a light stride. Even though this was a casual meeting, he still remained in his Magma Attire.

"Aren't you a little hot in that sweater?" she asked.

"Not at all." he answered.

Maxie looked at her sling and grimaced.

"Word on the street is that you beat the shit out of me." she said sarcastically.

"I believed you would come back to your senses. Also, I knew you wouldn't hurt yourself or Archie if I…well…injured you." he explained.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing, Noel Wilson."

She breathed out calmly.

"It was because of me that you succumbed to the orb's power. I wasn't able to help you fast enough. Even worse, I'm the reason you were possessed."

"You tried to kill me…but you killed Krys instead." she looked at her feet.

"I…I have no excuse…and I wanted to apologize deeply for even going that far. I'm surprised you agreed to take this meeting."

"I'm not a vengeful woman, Maxie." she told him. "Yes, I'm upset that you killed my best friend. Yes, I think you're a big bag of dicks… You were a monster in my eyes…in some ways you still are. But I can see that you're not a monster that's void of grief or guilt. Somewhere in my life I'll forgive you fully. But for now…I can't."

"I understand." he nodded.

"Thank you." she said, surprising him.

"What?"

"You were right about bringing me to my senses back there. You were the first step to pulling me back. Your words reached me, Maxie."

Maxie looked at the ground, unsure of what to say.

"Was that all you called me out here for?" she asked.

"I'm happy you made a full recovery." he nodded. "If you need anything from me, just contact me. I'll leave you, now." he turned and walked away.

_I was one of many evils. You have finally doused my flame._

Archie surprised her by beginning to talk.

"That was odd." he said. "For a sec, I thought I saw a human talk to you." he was clearly still spiteful.

"He apologized. That's all I wanted." she smiled. "Let's go see a contest, hun." she grabbed his hand.

He didn't object and walked with her out of the field. A flower on the tree broke from the leaves and landed on the gravestone, nestling between the picture frame and a bouquet. The wind blew peacefully, an ease filling the air.

 

 

The couple saw a series of contests and cheered for whoever won. They laughed and sang with the music, they threw confetti with the rest of the crowd, and they left with smiles on their faces like any other beautiful pair. They visited photo booths, kissed under trees, and talked about what to do later that night. They watched dudes on the beach fail at volleyball, and they also watched children play on the beach. She leaned against Archie while they walked, him holding her close. She felt as free as a spirit, happily kissing him and playing tic-tac-toe in the sand. They drew hearts and much more, including crudely drawn pictures of their faces. She giggled and got mad when he called it cute. She called the X on his face cute as payback, seeing him turn red at the statement and cheering in delight when she knew she landed a checkmate. She jumped in the air in glee, him eventually picking her up and carrying her out of the sand, both laughing all the way. She was happy.

As the day turned into evening, the two of them sat on a bench in front of the Pokémon Center. There was a mass of cheering from the other end of the street, Noel guessing at what it was. She looked down the road to see her childhood friend, wearing a grim expression on his face despite the calls of affection from admirers and fans. He forced them to leave from the looks of it, and looked at the couple on the bench. He frowned.

"Noel." Archie squeezed her hand.

"I need to talk to him, Archie. It's only fair." she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Just hang back."

He nodded and let her stand. She stood and took a deep breath, walking down the road to where Steven stood. He had his hands on his pockets, a smile growing on his face as she approached. She stopped in front of him, looking up at his face.

"Hello, Noel." he smiled. "I'm so happy to see you…" his voice trembled.

"Hi, Steven." she watched as tears dripped from his eyes.

He hugged her, a hug she returned.

"I thought you were dead…" he cried. "I lost you for so long…I lost you…"

"Well, I'm here talking to you. How did you find me here?" she asked.

He squeezed her. "I have people who called me here because they saw you at a contest. I told that wretched man to tell me when you woke up." he growled.

"Wretched man?" she stepped back from him. "That man you're talking about is my lover." she narrowed her eyes at him when he scoffed.

"Your 'lover'." he smirked in a grotesque way. "That man took you from me. He made you join Team Aqua. He made you a criminal, he corrupted you!" he shouted at her.

She stepped back in shock.

"That man is no lover. He's a monster." he crossed his arms and laughed. "He doesn't deserve you as a loving companion. You're too innocent for him."

"Excuse me?" she sounded offended.

He took her hand in his two. "Come back to Mossdeep with me, Noel…" his eyes turned gentle once again. "Come back to your home."

Noel looked at him, eyes narrowed and smile disappeared into a frown.

"No." she said.

"What?"

"I don't want to go anywhere with you, Steven." she told him.

"Noel, I lost you once, I can't handle losing you again." he looked into her eyes. "I love you, Noel…"

"Too bad, 'cause I don't love you."

His eyes widened, his face turned pale.

"That 'wretched man' gave me a family. He saved my life more than once. He makes me feel like a woman. He makes me feel like I matter. I know he loves me without even having to say it. He's everything to me, Steven."

"But you are everything to  _me_ …" he stroked her cheek. "Can't I be everything to you as well?"

"You're nothing." she said harshly.

His hand ran cold.

"You mean  _nothing_  to me, Steven Stone. All you are is an egotistical rich kid who got butthurt if he didn't win on the playground. You were a wall in my path. You cared about me, and I appreciated that, but I don't love you."

"Noel, I was there to comfort you when your father died…" he reminded her.

"And he was there to comfort me when Krys died. He was there to comfort me when I ripped the Key Stone out of my body. He was there to support me when I accomplished something. He was a support to my life while you were a wall to crush me.  _You are nothing compared to him_."

"Noel…" he was in disbelief.

"Never contact me again, Steven. Don't call me, don't follow me, don't even think about me. Leave me alone. I can't believe I was even felt the slightest ounce of excitement when I saw you."

He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "Noel…"

Steven watched, heartbroken and defeated as she turned away from him and walked back to Archie, who had been standing there awaiting her return. She broke into a run and smiled when he lifted her into a kiss and spun her around.

_I am what the heart wants. I will envelop you in a warm embrace forever._

They touched their foreheads together.

"I love you." he told her.

"I love you too."


	9. Like a Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Did you miss me? *waggles eyebrows* Lemme explain something here. Originally, I had planned for the ending of the story to be what you read here...before some 'hanky panky'. HOWEVER, I left my inbox on fanfiction.net open to suggestions for what other chapters others would like to see after the last chapter I posted, and what I anticipated was in fact the most suggested. Which means now I have a more diabolical ending planned! MWAHAHAHAHA! Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoy.

**One Week Later**

_"_ _Hello and welcome to Channel 7's coverage on the Pokémon League battle between the two most fired up Pokémon Trainers in the Hoenn region! If you thought the battle from the champion's last challenger was fierce, you won't wait to set your eyes on this! Noel Wilson astounded the region with her disappearance, and now she's back to dazzle us with her grace on the battlefield. Just yesterday, she defeated her father's successor, Drake the Dragon Master, in the final Elite Four challenge. It's been years since she's stepped foot on this platform. Who are you bargaining for?! See what happens during today's Pokémon League Championship!_

 

Archie could tell that Noel felt slightly claustrophobic in the elevator. She kept looking around nervously as if she was scared the small box would plummet to the center of the earth. He kept his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it. She looked up at him and smiled, her one hand rubbing her chest, the other in its arm-length brace.

"You'll be alright, scamp." he smiled at her.

She let out a breath. Her body was cold, but he knew she was only stressed out. He looked at her Pokeballs and saw them rattle in excitement.

"I'll be right on the sidelines if you need me." he gave her a thumbs up.

She clenched her fists.

"Who're you gonna Mega-Evolve?" he asked, looking at the floor numbers light up as they continued to rise. "You evolved Glalie the first time, Metagross the second time, Salamence the third time, and Swampert the fourth time."

"It depends on what he does." she said. "If he does what I think he will, then…" she trailed off, strategizing.

The elevator beeped, the doors opening to a sunny arena, the roars of a crowd welcoming them. There were guards waiting for her, waiting to escort her. He squeezed her shoulder again before she walked forward. Archie wished her luck before he entered the stands himself, a specific area being reserved just for him or other family in the very front row. If Noel needed some sort of drastic assistance during the battle, Archie was permitted to run out and calm her down. He was sure she wouldn't need it, but he needed to be cautious. He looked around at the size of the arena and how it was decorated. It was white with golden furnishings, a clear sunlight streaking down onto the battlers. Looking at the body count, there were surely enough people to fit into a whole other region. His thoughts were interrupted by the barking of a Manectric.

"I assume it is alright that I take a seat with you?"

Archie turned to see Hyde in his usual black shirt, only short sleeved, and his jeans. Manectric wagged its tail as it sat down, giving Hyde his answer before Archie could open his mouth. He sat down next to Archie and looked around.

"I thought crowds weren't your thing?" Archie asked, face serious.

"Yes, but I'm not missing the opportunity to see this." he smiled.

Archie nodded and watched Noel as the guards gave her the usual rules and debriefing, him flashing her a smile if she glanced over to him. The bags under her eyes stood out more in the sunlight.

"How has she been?" Hyde asked.

"Tired, to say the least. She's triggered by specific things. I see her condition improve all the time, but there's always the chance that something could creep into her brain and just…" he sighed. "It hasn't happened here, so I'm hoping it won't ever again after this."

"When is she triggered?"

"In her nightmares. Things just rise up from her unconscious and make her remember things from when she was possessed…it kills me to see her get worked up like that…"

Archie cleared his throat, not mentioning another time where he noticed she got upset. That was a personal matter. As Hyde thought silently to himself, Archie heard a familiar shout from higher in the stands.

"BROOOOO! BRO! HEY! BRO!"

Archie turned around with a smile to see Matt and Shelly stand up and wave. Matt wore a blue t-shirt to match his face paint. Shelly wore one similar, but a darker shade and more of a V-neck. Archie waved back to them.

"It's rather odd to see you without your wetsuit, Archie." Hyde chuckled. "But the muscle shirts work well for you."

"Ah stop it, Hyde." Archie shoved him humorously.

Smile still on his face, he saw a puff of smoke on either end of the battlefield, letting the crowd know that the battlers were being introduced. Steven was shown on the gigantic screen above the field. He wore his fake smile and waved to the crowd, blowing kisses and winking. His Key Stone glinted in the sunlight, his smug expression making Archie growl. The crowd chanted his name, the women swooned when they saw his silver hair shine. His smile faded when he glanced across the field, and that could be seen on-screen. Noel appeared on the screen next, her confident, serious expression giving the crowd a chill. The crowd continued to cheer as if they didn't know who they were supposed to be cheering for. She could be seen looking around the stands, a smile popping on her face now and then when somebody whistled. She looked more relaxed even though all eyes were on her. She didn't move her braced arm much; she just swung it at her side. Her white and dazzling smile made the crowd cheer louder, and her hair danced like a pendulum. The smoke cleared, the camera footage on-screen being replaced with their pictures and their Pokémon rosters. Archie looked at the screen with furrowed brows. He knew that she understood Steven's Pokémon team better than anyone else. Archie, from the sidelines, could see the two rivals look at each other. Fury emanated from Steven's eyes, confidence emanating from Noel's.

"How is she battling Steven if that other trainer defeated him a short while ago? Shouldn't she be champion?" Hyde asked.

Archie didn't take his eyes off of Noel. "No. The Pokémon League has an age-limit, believe it or not. Champions like Steven are required to be at least 18 years old. If someone like May defeats the champion, she gets worldwide recognition and a status to match, but Steven still remains in the position."

"I see."

Noel grabbed a Pokeball at her belt, gripping it tightly. Steven smirked, doing the same.

_"_ _NOW, LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"_ the announcer shouted across the stadium's speakers.

Noel scrunched her face in furiousness and chucked her first Pokeball forward. A Ludicolo popped out of its ball, dancing and hopping in place, a similar expression to its trainer. On Steven's side came his Skarmory. On the screen overhead, it showed Noel and her Ludicolo on one half of the screen with Steven and his Skarmory on the other half. On the field the two Pokémon exchanged glances. Surely the two had known each other for quite some time, but now there was a rift between them. Skarmory screeched in Ludicolo's general direction in frustration. Noel cracked her knuckles and began commanding her Pokémon.

_She's starting off with her Ludicolo._ Archie folded his hands in front of his mouth, watching carefully.  _During training, Noel mentioned two of Steven's Pokémon had Sturdy. Ludicolo needs to perform perfectly._

Ludicolo began with an Energy Ball, knowing that there wouldn't be much of an effectiveness with Skarmory's typing. Skarmory was able to brunt the attack easily, dashing forward on its legs and releasing a wave of Spikes. The Spikes littered around Ludicolo's feet, making it dicey for Ludicolo to move freely without damage. Noel shouted for a Hydro Pump, but Skarmory was able to dodge another long range attack like that. The pair looked to the ground, appearing panicked, but Archie was able to see the twinkle in her eye when she hatched an idea. Skarmory raced forward for an Aerial Ace, screeching at its target in a frightening tone. Noel screamed at the top of her lungs for another Hydro Pump, only this time it was aimed at the ground. In the nick of time, Ludicolo was launched like a rocket into the air, Skarmory missing its attack. Archie, along with the rest of the stadium, looked to the sky to see the incredible height Ludicolo had distanced itself with. Skarmory bolted upward, its wings glowing with a metallic glint. It raced toward its target at an alarming speed.

"Ludicolo's helpless up there!" Hyde shouted, looking up in shock.

Archie smirked.

"FOCUS BLAST!" Noel's shout rang across the stadium like a gunshot.

Ludicolo created a type of electricity ball compiled of its static, concentrated energy and held it out as Skarmory's Steel Wing collided with it. There was a blast from the collision, Skarmory being seen hurdling downward. Ludicolo remained conscious, smiling in success as it landed with a hard THUD to the ground. From the Hydro Pump earlier, the spikes had been washed away. Skarmory landed with an equally loud THUD, making its way to its feet with shaking legs. Both Pokémon were breathing heavily, having a staring contest it seemed. Ludicolo smirked. Skarmory was commanded forward once again, wings glinting that metallic shine. Noel screamed at the top of her lungs, Ludicolo whipping out another Hydro Pump, drowning Skarmory in a stream of water. Skarmory tumbled to the ground, fainted. Above them, on-screen, an X was put over Skarmory's box, making the crowd roar in all sorts of ways. Hyde stood up and cheered, Archie crossing his arms and smiling wide. Steven returned his Pokémon with forced calmness on his face. Noel thanked her Pokémon when it waddled back over to her, giving it a hug. She whispered something to it, Ludicolo nodding in response.

_Is she keeping Ludicolo in?_ Archie's eye twitched.  _I suppose she can't risk to switch out if they each have six Pokémon on the line. Ludicolo looks almost fainted itself, so in her mind they each have five Pokémon left._

"I don't remember her Ludicolo having Focus Blast…" Hyde remarked, sitting back down.

"It took a while, but the big guy finally learned it." Archie told him. "I'm surprised she even used that."

Steven threw another Pokeball forward, an Aggron being thrown onto the battlefield. It let out a roar in Ludicolo's direction, causing it to flinch.

_Yea, Ludicolo isn't lookin' good…_

Aggron's claws lit up with an orange flame, one that didn't quite look like a Fire Punch. It ran forward with its teeth bared. Steven was shouting at the top of his lungs, the grace remaining in his movements despite the tone in his voice. Noel did an equal amount of shouting, along with a fair amount of movement in her braced arm. Archie watched, wishing that she would ease the amount of force on it, but he knew she couldn't help herself. Ludicolo blasted another Hydro Pump to slow it down, but Aggron pushed through, making full contact with its claws.

"Dragon Claw…" Archie murmured. "That bastard…it's got Sturdy."

Ludicolo fell to the ground, fainted. On screen, an X went over its face, which then switched to a live-pan shot of Noel's side of the field. She returned her Pokémon with a deep breath. Her face was calm; she had known that situation was inevitable. She smiled and pulled out another ball. She threw it forward, a powerful roar startling the audience as her Salamence flew out. Archie was surprised.

"That thing's got Dragon Claw, what's she thinking?" he asked himself.

Salamence roared at Aggron as it charged with another Dragon Claw, Salamence flying into the air to dodge it. Fire erupted from its mouth, landing a hit on its opponent's dense body. Aggron cried out in pain, back-peddling to get out of the fire. Steven lurched forward, shouting something at Noel, but she shrugged it off and commanded Salamence to fly forward to execute a Dragon Pulse. Aggron, clearly upset, dug its claws into the ground and thrust a pile of stones into the air, halting Salamence's path. Salamence was clearly affected, the aura it was generating disappearing before it could form a beam. While Salamence was still recovering, Steven commanded another Stone Edge. Noel pointed straight into the air and screamed "UP!" multiple times. Salamence nodded and darted upward and into the air. The stones followed wherever Aggron commanded them to go, so into the air was no exception. Salamence flapped its wings and sped around the stadium, destroying some of the following stones with Flamethrower. Fans screamed and ducked their heads as Salamence swooped over them and roared in its attempts to dodge the Stone Edge. Archie laughed out loud as Salamence whipped over his head, rustling his hair and startling the kind scientist next to him. Aggron was frustrated, beginning another wave of stones to stop Salamence in its path. Doing this, however, forced Salamence to the right, sending it into a curve around Aggron, which had its back completely vulnerable. Salamence unleashed a Dragon Pulse, sending energy through Aggron's body that caused all stones to fall. Aggron collapsed to the ground, fainted. Salamence winked at Steven as it flew over his head and made its way back to Noel, who was waiting with a proud expression. Steven returned his fainted Pokémon, giving Noel a stern look. Noel smiled at her Salamence, ignoring him. Archie was surprised when Steven's next Pokémon was a Carbink.

"The fuck?" he laughed. "Carbink?"

Noel obviously felt threatened, returning her Salamence immediately.

"Oh shit, that's right, it's Fairy type." he murmured.

Noel chucked a Pokeball forward, Metagross flying out and landing with a THUD.

_Noel, Carbink is fucking tiny. Metagross is huge, what are you doing?_ Archie bit his knuckle.

Noel said something to Metagross, but it was inaudible to any of the fans. A flurry of tiny, gem-like objects formed around Carbink's body, shooting forward and striking Metagross' humongous body. Blinking, Metagross tromped forward slowly. Though the move was clearly Rock-type, it seemed to have no effect on the sturdy giant. Steven looked up from the battlefield and shouted something to Noel, making her flinch.

_What the fuck did he just say?_  Archie clenched his fists.

Seeing that the Power Gem had no effect on Metagross, Steven commanded a Moonblast attack. Metagross' leg began to shine with a radiant power. As Carbink charged its own attack, Metagross found the opportunity to lurch forward and strike the tiny body with its leg. A metallic form of energy accompanied by a silver tail, like a meteor, made up Metagross' leg and pummeled the tiny Carbink to the ground, knocking it out immediately.

"Meteor Mash…" Archie nodded. "That's what she said to Metagross when 'e first popped out. It takes a while to charge, so she just played around. She knew Carbink wasn't shit."

"Noel is quite the battler." Hyde cracked his knuckles before folding them on his lap. "I'm amazed Steven's holding out like this so calmly."

"To be honest, Hyde, I'm not sure how much longer Steven can keep his kettle simmering. He isn't afraid to hit below the belt here." he furrowed his brows. "I can tell…he won't keep his iconic face plastered on for much longer…"

Noel sighed, calling Metagross back closer to her. Steven returned his fainted Carbink and clenched his fists. Noel had five Pokémon left, Steven had only three. Archie watched Steven's calm mouth crack into a wicked smile. Steven chucked forth an Aerodactyl. He also watched as Noel went from a calm expression to a mildly worried one, her eyes widening and smile falling into an agape frown. Metagross also seemed to be affected here, as if they knew exactly the position they were in.

_According to Noel, Aerodactyl knows a slurry of moves that would take her Pokémon down quickly. Swellow would be annihilated by three of its moves, Glalie by two, Metagross by two, and Swampert would receive quite a beating. If she switches out, she'll have a worse chance of predicting what move he'll use instead of sticking with her sturdy Metagross. Steven intended on Metagross being out at this time…_

"KICK THAT GUY'S ASS, NOEL!" Matt shouted from his seat, standing up to achieve full volume.

Noel could be seen wearing a smile, raising her hand into the air to give her friend a thumbs up. With newborn confidence, she shouted to her Metagross. Steven did the same with Aerodactyl, his Pokémon blasting forward on its wings, a Fire Fang clearly in progress. Noel's eyes widened, Aerodactyl's speed catching her off guard. When Aerodactyl bit down successfully, Metagross cried out, unable to form the Hammer Arm its trainer commanded.

_Noel's not looking so good. She's starting to panic because Steven has her pinned right now._

Aerodactyl's next move, Rock Slide, pummeled Metagross until its legs nearly buckled. Noel grabbed her head, shouting for her Pokémon to get up and try to land a hit. The rocks flew off of Metagross, finally able to use its Psychic. It threw the rocks right back at the prehistoric beast, getting back onto all fours with piercing eyes. Aerodactyl seemed to sneer as it darted forward for another Fire Fang. Noel wasn't going to have it, shouting for Metagross to stop it with Psychic. Though it clearly affected Aerodactyl, it was still able to land a hit. Metagross looked at the other Pokémon, rage filling its eyes. Aerodactyl only bit down harder, the flames extended up the metal leg. Noel begged for her Pokémon to push through with a Hammer Arm, and to everybody's surprise, it did. Metagross swung its leg upward, shaking the Aerodactyl off, and struck it with the full force of Hammer Arm. The force knocked the opponent around a bit, making it slowly rise back off the ground and retreat, but it wasn't enough to make it faint. The burn that Metagross was afflicted with was a large one, surely sapping its health quite a bit.

"Metagross is done." Archie said, leaning back in his seat. "That burn is way too bad."

After standing firm for an excruciating three minutes, Metagross' legs finally buckled. It let out a tired roar and fainted. Noel returned it to its ball and apologized to it.

"I wonder what's going through her head right now." Hyde said.

"I wonder too." Archie sat back up straight, making sure Noel was looking alright. "Swellow and Glalie would be useless here. She knows that and it's tearing her up. I can see it in her face."

She gripped a Pokeball in her hand, screaming as she threw it forward. Swampert came out of the ball exploding with confidence, confidence that its trainer surely needed. Aerodactyl screeched, frustrated and sensing a problem with its own trainer. Steven grimaced, his scowl sending a silence to the ladies in the stadium that cried out his name. He said something that reached Noel's ears and made her eyes widen.

"What did he just say?!" Archie shouted, standing up this time as if he was ready to fight. "Archie, please sit down." Hyde sighed.

Aerodactyl flew forward once again, baring its teeth. This time, however, there was a cool mist that radiated off of its fangs. Its speed was uncanny despite the damage Metagross was able to inflict. Noel, instinctively, raised her hand to her chest, her face reading confusion when she felt nothing there. Her lips formed the words "oh, right" as she raised her hand to her earring.

"Noel…" Archie growled.

"That's not a good sign." Hyde commented, now growing concerned himself.

"No, it isn't."

Swampert was able to go through its Mega Evolution in time for it to grab the speeding Aerodactyl with its gigantic hands. With a terrifying glance, it stared the winged-creature in the eyes before chucking it back across the stadium. Noel shouted to her partner with a strained voice. Swampert turned its head and nodded, clenching its one hand into a fist.

"What's she doing?" Hyde asked.

Aerodactyl, screeching angrily, flew forward in another attempt to land an Ice Fang. In its weakened and dizzied state, its flight was slower than before, making it easier for Swampert to concentrate. Aerodactyl flew in closer, opening its mouth to take a nice big chomp out of Swampert's arm, but Swampert roared, its fist colliding with Aerodactyl's face. The power that was sent through that punch was enough for its opponent to fly through the air and land on the ground, fainted.

"Was that…" Hyde blinked in amazement.

"Focus Punch." Archie smiled. "We agreed that Swampert having both Muddy Water and Surf was a little redundant, so she decided on teaching it Focus Punch. I'd never use it in that situation though, so I might have to kick her in the butt later."

Hope returned to Noel's face, making Steven very angry. He returned his Aerodactyl and brought out a Claydol next. Swampert must have been staying in because Noel didn't move a muscle. Her face looked as if her brain was working a mile a minute. Steven seemed to be forcing a smile once again, rambling on about something that made he and his Pokémon look superior. Swampert began with a Water Pledge, Claydol able to stop the attack with Extrasensory. Twitching, Swampert created a wave for Surf. The amount of water was too much for Claydol to stop, so instead, it created a Light Screen around itself. It was no Protect, but it weakened the attack power of Swampert's surf. Claydol looked affected on impact, but it did not lose its kilter.

_Claydol must be a scapegoat._  Archie crossed his arms.  _Carbink was one and now Claydol is another. It's setting something up._

Claydol took the swamp of water that continued to be thrown at it like a champ, also continuing to set up barriers of defense and special defense. Once and awhile, it deflected Swampert with Extrasensory, doing a small fraction of damage each time. Eventually, Claydol went down, teetering to the ground fainted.

"Only one more…" Archie whispered. "And this is the hardest…"

Swampert returned to its end of the field, pounding on its chest to get pumped back up. Noel and Steven were making total eye contact. Steven grabbed his last Pokeball and tossed it forward, his regular colored Metagross popping out and staring Swampert in the eyes. Steven smiled as he raised his hand to his stickpin.

"Remember when you tore this off my body with those frigid claws of yours?" he called across the battlefield.

Noel squeezed her eyes shut, grabbing her head and buckling over. Swampert turned in surprise as its trainer let out a pained cry.

"That fucking asshole!" Archie stood up faster than before, maneuvering past Hyde and standing at the stairs of the stands, ready to go down and help.

Noel shuddered before standing back up, wiping her eyes with her arm. She was grinding her teeth, her hands clenched into tight fists as she stepped forward. Swampert nodded after her growl was heard by its ears. Steven laughed, pressing the Key Stone on his stickpin. His Metagross underwent Mega Evolution, the additional four arms sprouting from its back, making it look like some sort of rocket. Metagross' stare was intense, making Swampert clench its own fists over and over again. Noel screamed her commands, Swampert roaring in agreement. It dug its hands into the ground and shook the ground with an Earthquake. Metagross almost lost its kilter, nearly falling to the ground. It cried out, Steven shouting at it to keep going. Swampert removed its hands from the earth and went straight into a Surf, battering the beast with a wave of water. Metagross appeared unaffected. Its arms lit up with a metallic sheen, darting forward and striking down Swampert with a Meteor Mash. Swampert bounced off of the ground, rolling back over to Noel. It stood shakily, shaking the jumbles out of its head. Metagross now seemed to be charging an incredible power, the energy surging around the whole stadium.

"Oh Arceus…" Archie muttered.

Noel screamed, Swampert reeling back its arm, a concentration spreading across its face.

"Noel, this NEEDS to hit!" Archie cupped his hands and shouted, hoping she could hear him.

Her face remained unchanged from his comment. Metagross, a powerful purple aura surging all around it, charged forward forcibly.

"NOT YET!" Noel shouted at Swampert, who was waiting eagerly.

Metagross got even closer, its roars in sync with Steven's shouting. It boosted its speed, tendrils of power being left behind as it charged.

"GO, FOCUS PUNCH! NOW!" Noel screamed.

"GIGA IMPACT!" Steven shouted equally as loud.

As Swampert's fist and Metagross' body collided, an explosion spread across the battlefield, leaving smoke and dust all around them. The smoke spread into parts of the stands where the crowd was screaming wildly. Archie covered his eyes with his arm, grunting as he prayed that Swampert would still be standing when the smoke cleared. Noel and Steven could both be heard coughing. When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were still standing, both with an equal amount of damage. Metagross slowly levitated back to Steven, Swampert standing tall as it breathed heavily. It collapsed forward, its hands catching it before it could hit the ground. It was trying desperately to stay up and active. Noel looked pained and tired, her face pale and fraught with worry. When Swampert shook its head and stood back up, her face eased a little. Swampert moved forward on its wave of water in order to try and strike it again, this time landing a hit. Giga Impact requires at least one turn of rest after the consumption of such raw power, so using Surf now was beneficial. Metagross remained unmoving until after the Surf hit, when it locked eyes with Swampert once again. Its arms moved in flashes, striking Swampert one by one.

"Bullet Punch…" Archie whispered.

Swampert landed on its feet, hopping backwards so it could dodge the remaining punches. It ducked under one, using the chance to get under Metagross' massive body and grabbing it. It pulled it to the ground, holding it there while it shook the ground with another Earthquake. Metagross felt it that time, the punches fading away as quickly as they were brought out. It roared in pain, the frequency hurting Swampert's ears and making it retreat from it.

"GET UP, METAGROSS! FINISH SWAMPERT RIGHT NOW! GIGA IMPACT!" Steven screamed from his end of the battlefield.

As the power once again surged around Metagross, Noel swallowed a lump in her throat.

"SWAMPERT, SURF!"

Swampert created a massive wave, lurching forward in attempts to drown the Steel type in water once and for all. Its arm glowed with power, Archie's eyes widening when he realized what the duo was doing here. Steven was so wrapped up in his own power struggle that he was blinded. Noel's strength differed in his, her bond with her Swampert shattering any means of his victory. Metagross charged forward again, only this time, at an upward angle. Swampert grew its wave to gain some height. If they collided head on, Swampert had an equal chance of being taken out. Swampert leapt from its wave and had its fist collide with Metagross' head, creating another explosion of power. Steven could be seen with widened eyes, his mouth twisted into a manic frown and his fingers curled in rage. Archie watched as Noel shook, her face drenched with sweat. When the smoke cleared, Swampert stood atop of its enemy in the same stance it had used to punch. The Metagross lay on the ground, fainted.

"Sweet Arceus…" Archie broke into a wide smile.

The screen overhead showed X's over all six of Steven's Pokémon, granting victory to Noel. The crowd erupted into cheering as Noel slowly connected the dots in her head. Her face went from panic to ease very slowly, a smile creeping onto her tired face. Swampert stood and backed off of Metagross, turned, and ran over to its trainer.

"I…I did it…" she whispered, falling to her knees. "I…I…"

Archie sprinted forward to catch Noel before she could fall any further. He got onto his knees and faced her, hands on her shoulders.

"Noel, you fucking did it! YOU DID IT!" he shook her by the shoulders to snap her out of her current trance.

She smiled, looking around the stadium at all of the people cheering for her. She looked at Archie, who smiled at her and touched his forehead to hers. Archie laughed, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly. When she started laughing with him, he helped her stand. They were then taken in by Swampert's mighty hands which wrapped them in a hug as well. Archie's laugh must have been contagious because Swampert was laughing with them. When Archie looked down at the woman he loved, he saw tears stream down her cheeks. He looked at her.

"What is it, Noel?" he asked, wiping her eyes for her.

She smiled at him. "I won, Archie…I did it…"

He pulled her into another hug, rubbing her back. She smiled wide, her cries being tears of happiness. Archie heard footsteps behind him, so he turned around to stand next to his winner. Steven approached them, sunken and defeated. His eyes looked lost, his face paler than a ghost. He had returned his Metagross during the couple's embrace, Noel now returning her Swampert. The rivals looked each other in the eye again, Noel having wiped the moisture from her face.

"Congratulations, Noel." he said.

Noel nodded.

"I would like to grant you the esteemed honor of becoming Pokémon League Champion, having defeated me." he stuck his hand out for her to shake it. "Your Pokémon performed with utter brilliance. I hope you perform in your new position as well as you did me today."

Noel stared at his hand and smiled. "Keep your champion title, Steven."

"What?" Steven widened his eyes, appalled.

"I don't want to be champion. Don't you understand words?"

"But…why challenge me when you have no intention to—"

"I wanted to prove to myself that I could beat you." she looked up at him with eyes like ice, but a smile like the sun. "I needed to break down my wall."

He lowered his hand, flabbergasted. "You're refusing to take title as champion."

"Indeed I am. I will, however, take all the spoils and recognition that comes with winning." she winked. "The entire world will know that I defeated you, Steven Stone."

He flinched as if those words wounded him physically. "Of course…"

Archie stared at Steven, who glared right back. He lowered his head and turned, sticking his hands in his pockets. Without another word, Steven walked away from them.

Noel let out a sigh, leaning on Archie for support. Archie put his hand around her to keep her up.

"Noel, what did he say to you during the battle?" he asked, leading her away from the middle of the field.

"I'll tell you later."

Archie nodded and rubbed her shoulder, greeting Hyde and Manectric as they met them near the stands. Noel smiled, breaking away from Archie and hugging Hyde. Manectric barked and wagged its tail.

"My dear, you're clammy." Hyde said, feeling her forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm hot as hell and I just defeated the champion of the Pokémon League." she smiled. "I need to decompress a little."

Archie crossed his arms and looked around the stands. Shelly and Matt were slowly making their way down the stairs of the stands, squeezing past people, Shelly shouting at people who were just standing around. A flash of red caught his eye, taking him by surprise. The flash off of the glasses gave the identity away, as well as the red hair. Maxie stood in the stands, away from everyone else. He gestured with his finger for Archie to come over. He took a quick glance at Noel and Hyde before he walked over to Maxie, who was waiting with his usual stern expression.

"What are you doing here?" Archie asked, looking around.

"Watching a Pokémon battle. What, am I not allowed?" his eye twitched.

"But why? You don't care about shit like this, Maxie."

"Sure, Archie. You  _do_ know everything, after all." he sneered.

"What do you want?" Archie looked at his feet knowing that what Maxie just said was a stab at his actions prior to now.

"Just to make sure…"

"Make sure of what?"

Maxie chuckled and turned away, walking out through the stadium's exit. Archie didn't follow, call out, or get frustrated. He just watched him leave.

_You care._ He smiled.

"Archie?" he heard Noel's voice from behind him. "Honey, what's the matter?"

He turned, smile still on his face.

"Ah, nothin'." he walked over to her and kissed her. "Just had to talk to someone."

She smiled up at him and pulled on his arm.

"Come on, we're all going out to eat!"

He picked her up and draped her over his shoulder with a chuckle.

"HEY!" she shouted in retaliation.

Archie laughed out loud, a laugh that reverberated through the stadium and the sky.

 

 

**Later**

Noel let out a loud burp as she entered her room. She wore a big smile and rubbed her full stomach, proud of the fact that she could out-eat Archie in an ice cream eating contest. The perks were bragging rights, but the downside was extreme brain freeze. She set her Pokeballs on her desk, stretching and letting out a tired moan. Their antics of celebration lasted all day, it was late now. Removing her earrings, she stared into her Key Stone happily.

"We did it." she whispered as she set the earrings down.

She undressed, her braced arm aching as she removed her shirt. She bent and extended it a few times, feeling a burn in her ligaments.

"I shouldn't have used my arm so vigorously…" she scolded herself.

Finding an old t-shirt and shorts, she slid them on and smiled as she felt so comfortable.

"The best time is no-bra time." she collapsed onto her bed.

Her ceiling was decorated with lamp light. The covers beneath her felt blissful, coaxing her to snuggle up with them and fall asleep into a world of dreams. Before she could, her battle with Steven replayed in her head. She closed her eyes, thinking of every move executed, every strategy unwound and retried. There were so many things that could have gone wrong, but she was happy her Pokémon pulled through for her.

_"_ _Remember when you pulled this off my body with those cold claws of yours?"_  Steven's words flashed across her mind.

Her eyes popped open and she gasped. Pain webbed through her head, making her sit up and hunch forward. Her breathing heightened as images made their way to her consciousness. She felt sick to her stomach when she saw herself, like in a dream. Those markings, that coldness, those screams. Eyeballing her trashcan, she fell off of her bed and crawled to it, thinking she was going to vomit.

_Breathe, Noel. It's okay. You're in your room at home. Archie's just one panel away, he's right there. Just slow down your breathing, you're going to be fine._

Eventually, her breathing slowed and her heartbeat calmed down. Her grip on the trashcan lessened and the sweat stopped dripping from her face. Her headache slowly subsided, giving her the freedom of thought. Slowly, she stood back up, shaking. She looked at her hands and clenched them multiple times, checking if she was really herself.

"Why do I…why do I get like this…" her voice shook, eyes narrowed.

She rubbed her temples, trying to rid whatever pain resided in her head. Humming usually helped in this situation.

"I'm okay…" she breathed out.

She looked around her room and jumped up in the air a few times. She needed a boost of energy, a boost of enthusiasm.

"Crobat…" she closed her eyes and focused.

"Hey Noel—"

"UNDERWEAR!" she shouted at the ceiling, opening her eyes again.

Archie stood at the entrance of her room, surprised. He blinked when he saw her arms outstretched and in the air, hands curled into fits.

"Uhhhh…Noel?" he asked.

She looked at him and slowly lowered her arms. Thankfully he was smiling.

"What're ya doin, scampo?" he walked over and kissed her cheek.

"Oh, ya know…stuff." she shrugged.

"Stuff?"

"And…things."

"Stuff  _and_  things…" he repeated sarcastically, poking her nose. "Well, sorry to interrupt your stuff and things, but I wanted to pay you a little visit."

She smiled. "What's up?"

He kissed her and stroked her jawline. "I turned your warp panel off."

"Is that some sort of lingo?"

"Aye."

"Would you like to enlighten me?"

He kissed her again, only harder this time. She felt him pick her up and she wrapped her legs around his torso.

"Is that a good enough answer?" he asked seriously.

She didn't respond, heart aflutter. There was a great quantity of her that wanted to go through with this, but there was also the small fraction that didn't. Biting her lip, she could feel darkness creeping up the walls of her consciousness, darkness ready to pull her down if she didn't do something.

"Noel, we don't have to if you're not okay with it." he told her, touching his forehead to hers.

She didn't know how to answer, so she relied on humor.

"If you have Kyogre themed protection, I'm gonna kick your ass."

She was plopped onto the bed, making her bounce on the mattress and being sent into laughter.

"Oh  _darn_ , you've foiled my plans." he took his shirt off, talking sarcastically again.

Face feeling hot, she covered her face with her hands. She squealed a little bit, as if she were embarrassed to be looking at him.

"What, you can't handle" he flexed his biceps, "the gun show?"

She fell onto her back on the mattress in the midst of a laughing fit. She wiped her eyes as a tear formed, Archie still using, as he phrased it, 'the ol' razzle dazzle'. He eventually sat on the bed with her.

"Archie, oh my Arceus, stop, I'm gonna puncture a lung." she laughed.

"Your laugh is so cute." he grinned.

"No it isn't. It's loud and obnoxious." she sat up, blushing.

Before she could say anything else negative about herself, Archie's lips crashed into hers. Her face felt hot, body tensing in uncertainty.

"Noel?" he paused.

She nodded.

"You sure?" he asked. "I just don't want you to feel-"

"It's okay…" she nodded, more sure of herself this time. "I'll tell you if I can't…well…handle it."

"Last time you nearly took my eye out with your right hook." he laughed against her lips.

"And you hadn't even taken your shirt off yet." she laughed as well. "Look at this. Progress."

They both laughed, then progressing into deeper kissing. He sat on top of her and smiled, her shirt halfway up her torso and shorts making their way down her hips. He made a statement about Crobat underwear and she stuck her tongue out. She was sensitive and slightly shaky, and he noticed, apologizing frequently when he caressed one of her tickle spots.

" _I'm gonna crush you."_ she heard what sounded like Archie's voice in the back of her mind.

"What did you say?" she asked as he kissed her neck.

"I said your giggle is cute." he grinned.

_"_ _I said I'm gonna crush you."_ she heard again.

Her heart jumped and she gasped.

"What did I do?" he asked. "Are the ears not bitable?"

"I, uh, I just—"

"No ears. Got it." he sat back up and winked.

_"_ _That heart of yours looks great."_ the voice was definitely Archie's.

She gulped, stomach feeling upset again. Archie squeezed her hand, clearly sensing something was wrong.

"Noel, what is it?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"Let me see your hands." she muttered quickly, looking at his nails.

"Noel, are you feeling okay?" he asked.

Analyzing his far-from-perfect fingernails, she breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way he was clawing into any flesh with those.

"I'm fine." she smiled. "I'm serious, I'm good. Just go, dude."

" _Dude."_ he laughed.

She let his hand go, heartbeat slowing down. She was in control of her own mind; she just needed to believe it. As their actions progressed, she felt more comfortable, like a puzzle piece being calmly fitted to its partner. The voice tried coming back, but she refused to let it take over. She was in control. Her meek stature dissipated, being taken over by a more confident woman.

 

 

**The Next Morning**

"We're not talking about it." Noel told Archie as she put on her repaired Admin outfit.

"Aw, come on." he teased.

"You'll never get my voice to go that high again, I swear to Arceus." she couldn't help but smile.

He put his wetsuit on, laughing about the whole situation.

"Like an opera singer…"

"Shut the fuck up." she shook her head while putting her earrings in.

Archie didn't say anything as he tied on his bandana. She looked over at him, his eyes narrowed as if he needed to say something. She caught on immediately, crossing her arms and looking at him.

"What's wrong?"

"What did Steven say to you, Noel?" he asked.

"You heard what he said, Archie. You saw how I reacted with your own eyes." she somewhat dodged the question.

"Yea, but he said other things, Noel. You clearly reacted to that too." he countered.

She looked at him, knowing he was right. She sighed.

_"_ _You're betraying me with a Metagross_ _ **I**_ _gave you."_ his voice filtered into her head.

She repeated that to Archie, putting more emphasis on the 'I'. He shook his head.

"What else did he say? There was one more thing."

She lowered her head this time, remembering what he had said to her.

_"_ _You're not your father, so stop acting like it."_

When Archie heard what she repeated, a growl escaped his mouth.

"I'm sorry that asshole had to stoop so low." he shook his head.

"I won. That's all that counts, right?" she smiled slightly.

After a moment of silence, Archie wiped the anger from his face.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I just needed to know."

"I understand."

His face flipped, a smile growing on his face.

"I have a present for you. I wanted to tell you last night, but we got carried away." he went through his pants pockets from the day before. "I know how much you're into science…and you talk about how beautiful the night sky is…"

"What is it?" she smiled.

He held two tickets in his hands. "I got us two tickets to see the meteor shower in a few days. I bought them a while ago, but I wanted the perfect time to give them to you."

She gasped, taking her ticket in her hands. She covered her mouth, eyes wide in surprise, gleeful like she had just received a jewel.

"And hey, after some hanky panky and emotional trauma, what's a better time?" he joked.

She hugged him. "I would love to go with you, Archie."

He hugged her tightly. "I knew you'd love it…"

She kissed his cheek and tucked her ticket under her picture frame, keeping it there for safe keeping. Archie told her he'd keep his safe as well, but for now he needed to go and tend to other things. She watched him leave through the warp panel with a wave. Now alone, she looked through the papers on her desk. She and the other admins' signatures were there, all except for Matt. She frowned, taking the papers and a pen in her hands. These forms were important, they were necessary for changing the goals of Team Aqua. Now that Kyogre was back in slumber, there was no true objective for them to be working on. Noel suggested the surveillance and protection of all marine Pokémon, considering it still revolved around Archie's true objective. It was no legendary Pokémon, but the protection of the oceans and its inhabitants were what came first. Shelly hopped onto the plan immediately, as did Archie, but Matt must not have gotten around to signing it. She stepped onto her warp panel, making her way over to Matt's. She had full intentions of bringing this agreement to his eyes. It was good for the team. When she stepped foot into Matt's room, there was nobody there.

"Matt…where's your bed?" she asked herself.

Looking around the room, she searched for clues to deduce where her fellow admin went off to. All she saw was a mat, a punching bag, and a boom box that had a full box of CDs sitting next to it. She picked up one of them.

"Bro Special Volume 7." she read aloud. "Who…who made this…" she asked in disbelief. "Are there six more of these?"

As she set the CD down, she heard the activation of the warp panel behind her. Matt was walking in, seeming to be on a schedule.

"Hey, sis. Sorry, I can't talk right now." he walked past her.

"I just came by to have you look at these forms, dude. You can get them back to me whenever you want, but we only need your signature yet." she told him, setting the forms on top of the boom box.

He stopped whatever he was doing and didn't look at her.

"Is that the new plan on how Team Aqua's changed?" he asked.

"Yea. You don't need to read it over and sign it right now, I understand if you're busy. Just get back to me whenever you can, okay?" she smiled, knowing he wasn't looking at her.

"I can't sign something like that."

"What?" she blinked. "What do you mean?"

He turned to look at her, opening his mouth to say something, but then closing it again and looking at the floor.

"When my bro started this team, he had such ambition, you know? His enthusiasm tied us all together. That's what made you stay with us, right?"

"Yes. Archie's enthusiasm helped me find a path to walk down…even though it led to some hefty consequences…" she narrowed her eyes.

"The ambitions we've had up until now…are they all bad? Was all of this a mistake?"

"I wouldn't say it was all a mistake, Matt, no." she shook her head. "What happened in Kyogre's cavern…" she closed her eyes, "It was just a bad situation. We were just a little…misguided…in terms of said consequences…"

"Ever since then, Archie's changed. I don't see that enthusiasm anymore."

"Matt, just because the original plan failed doesn't mean that Archie has given up. We just need to find something new to expand on. If expanding the seas didn't work, then we need to find something we  _can_  do."

"That isn't what I'm bugged about!" he raised his voice. "He had a dream and he couldn't achieve it! I saw that same ambition in your eyes too, and now it's gone! From the both of you, it's just disappeared!"

"That isn't true, Matt." she argued.

Matt clenched his fists and looked at the floor.

"I knew you wouldn't understand…" he muttered, then raising his voice again. "Don't tell me you aren't a little empty inside since our plan failed!"

"Considering I almost died, Matt, I haven't exactly thought of that, no." she told him, sounding hurt.

"That isn't what I meant, Noel."

She let out a huff, calming her irritation from his words.

"I need to achieve my bro's dream…just for him…"

Before she could protest, Matt left the room through the warp panel. She let out a loud groan.

"Matt…"

She left the room through the warp panel, not seeing any clear sign of him anywhere. An itch formed in the back of her mind, an itch that she needed to hold onto for a little while. Knowing she couldn't keep her concerns to herself, she decided to look for Archie to report this to him firsthand. As she walked around the base, she stopped and talked with some grunts about the changes they were making, and positively they were on board. The itch grew, making her question why Matt would be against such a positive change besides the concerns he already expressed. She spotted Katelyn in the main room, seeming to be on her way to the bunk room. Noel tracked her down and stopped her.

"Katelyn!"

Katelyn halted her walking and saluted.

"ADMIN NOEL, WHAT IS IT YOU NEED?"

"First of all, lower your voice. Second of all, I have a question about Matt."

"Admin Matt?" she lowered her saluting hand. "What about him?"

"Has he acted strange lately? Said anything strange to you?"

Katelyn tapped her chin, thinking.

"Well, now that you mention it, he's rounded a few of us up to talk about future missions…"

"Missions?" she asked, appalled. "Like what? Archie has nothing planned, as far as I'm aware."

Katelyn shrugged. "I don't know a lot, sorry."

"No no, it's fine. Thank you."

Noel turned from the grunt and made her way to the labs. She already knew that Archie wasn't in her room or his own room, so perhaps he was meeting with Hyde. Walking through the lab doors, she found that she was indeed correct. However, the conversation they were having didn't seem so light-hearted.

"What does Mossdeep want with my scientists?" Archie asked.

Hyde pinched the bridge of his nose. "Archie, I don't know. Cosmo left a message on the Nav and I decided to inform you. Don't get iffy with me, please."

"Well, what did the message say?"

"Something about a meteor and calling him back as soon as I could."

Noel cleared her throat, alerting them to her presence. Archie turned his head, as did Hyde.

"Noel. What is it?" Archie asked.

"I was wondering if I could borrow you for a minute."

He and Hyde exchanged looks.

"I'll call the man back." Hyde rolled his eyes.

Archie walked over to Noel, letting out a sigh. "What's up?"

"I'm a little concerned about Matt, Archie." she told him. "He's been acting a little strange."

"Strange?" he raised his eyebrows. "Strange how?"

"He was saying how our ambitions have derailed, how you don't have enthusiasm anymore. He also said something about achieving Aqua's goals himself. He was belligerent and wouldn't really listen to me when I talked to him. One of the grunts even said he was making plans for missions, and I sure as hell don't have anything planned. Do you?"

"No. All I have planned is making a kind of team to scout the oceans and stuff. Nothing too complicated, really." he scratched his chin. "I'll talk to him later."

Hyde's head popped around the corner. "Noel! Come here, please!"

Scurrying over and around the corner, she saw a familiar face on Hyde's PokeNav. It was the meek face of her former boss, Professor Cosmo. His face looked rather sweaty, his cheeks actually redder than his usual expression. He kept pushing up his glasses in a nervous habit.

"Cosmo, I retrieved my best scientist." Hyde said, patting her back.

Noel looked up at him, surprised by his statement. He smiled at her and nodded.

"Noel, my dear!" Cosmo greeted her with a smile through the screen. "It's great to be seeing and hearing you! But this isn't the time for catching up; I have a bit of a problem."

"By a bit, you must mean a big problem." she raised an eyebrow.

"You know me too well, Noel." he tittered, and then cleared his throat. "Do you recall the meteorite we were studying before you, well…left?"

"Meteorite 122696." she recited like a script, plucking it from her memory. "Yes, I remember."

"It has changed course." he wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"It  _what_?" her eyes widened. "That's impossible! Saunders and I mapped that equation ourselves!"

Saunders, a brown-haired scientist, could be heard panicking in the background of the call.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, MAN!" Cosmo shouted away from the screen. "Anyway, Noel, could you return to the Space Center to assist us with this outcome? I know your superiors at Aqua have taught you well. Please, we need you."

Noel bit her fingernails, unsure of what to do. Archie had stepped into the call as well, he and Hyde standing on either side of her, waiting for her to decide.

"What's the new trajectory?" she asked.

Cosmo hesitated before answering. "Straight for Hoenn."

All three of them gasped, Noel taking the news the hardest, knowing fully what exactly they were studying.

"Noel…how do you know about this space stuff? I thought you were a marine scientist?" Archie asked.

"I'm well rounded." she answered vaguely.

"Noel, please, I fear we're running out of answers." Cosmo begged.

She clenched her fists, thinking about the circumstances of either case. If she didn't assist, there was a chance of the meteorite crashing into Hoenn, wiping everything out. All she loved would cease to exist, along with the world her departed left behind. If she did leave to assist the scientists, what would her Team think? Looking up at Archie, she read the mixture of emotions he must have been feeling. She turned back to the screen, holding her head up high.

"I'll help you."


	10. His Rain Never Stopped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have some Delta Episode! Feels for all!

After the call, Noel left the lab with Archie, who was talking to her with urgency in his voice. He asked her to reconsider, asked her to take him with her, and even asked her if she would take Hyde with her. She shook her head to all of his suggestions, taking his hand and stopping in the middle of the hallway.

            “Archie, you and Hyde have no idea how big this could blow up. Besides, we can’t have the leader of Team Aqua watching over me while the team might blow itself up. Cooper lit himself on fire yesterday, just think of how bad it would be if you left for too long.”

            “Noel, what if something happens to you?”              

            “In a lab? In Mossdeep City? In front of a computer?” she retaliated.

            He sighed and rubbed his head, not wanting to come to grips with her decision.

            “I understand you want to protect me, Archie. I appreciate it very much…and I know you want to be my hero for when something does happen to me…and boy I need it sometimes…but you have to let me make my own decision here. I know what I have to do and I know it wouldn’t be good if I didn’t help them. Please, Archie, trust me.”

            She continued walking through the halls, hearing Archie jog behind her when he lagged behind. As they reached her room, she ran through a list of things she needed aloud.

            “Can you get my backpack from my closet, please? I need to think here…”

            “Sure.”

            He retrieved her backpack for her as she wrote down notes on a piece of paper. She grumbled and mumbled, carrying the paper around between her lips while she packed clothing into her bag. Archie stood and watched.

            “I’ll only be at the Space Center, so if I need to call you in any way, keep an eye on your communicators and Navs. The same goes for if you need me back here. I’ll come running if something happens.” she told him. “I’ll also call you if I need to hear you…” she smiled at him.

            He smiled back. “Got it.”

            She zipped up her bag and double checked her Pokeballs, them being safely secured to her belt.

            “I think I have everything. I think I’m good to go…” she said.

            She felt Archie hug her from the side, a hug which she returned.

            “I want updates on what’s going on in the science world… A meteorite sounds pretty heavy… Don’t leave us hanging.”

            “I’ll send info through Hyde. You’ll know everything as I receive it. I promise.” she hugged him tighter.

            “I trust you, Noel. You can do this.”

            It warmed her heart, hearing Archie say those words. They let go of each other, both making their way to the warp panel. Archie called on Shelly when they saw her, explaining the situation. Shelly nodded as they explained, giving Noel a thumbs up.

            “You do what you do best.” Shelly told her. “Be daring and be smart.”

            “Keep things afloat here, Shelly. And save me some pudding…I’m missing chocolate night.” Noel smiled.

            “Aye.” she nodded.

            Noel walked through the main room, Shelly and Archie at her heels, grunts all around just minding their own business. When they reached the exit, Archie and her exchanged a kiss, one that was witnessed by the grunts standing by, and of course by Shelly. The grunts, mostly the male grunts, responded with a simultaneous “YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”. The females went “oh shit”, and Shelly looked surprised. Noel ignored all of the responses, focusing on saying goodbye to him, along with his words of luck and his shark-like grin. The chatter and murmurs died down as she exited the base and entered the sea-filled cave, the fragrance of salt filling her nostrils. The boatman greeted her like usual, pulling up a boat and sparking the usual conversation. Even though she offered to Surf with Swampert, he wouldn’t let her. He told her that he didn’t want to see her get wet for no good reason. She said that that was preposterous, they were Team Aqua. As they entered the boat, he said that he enjoyed carrying people on those shitty boats. He told her he was never good at battling, he just enjoyed the sea so much. Even if he lost at battles, he said, he would always have the opportunity to sail others around.

            “Even though it’s small…I just want to mean something.” he smiled while he steered.

            “That’s really nice, Sam.” she nodded and smiled.

 “Because I know you think that way too. That’s what brought you to us. So let’s all think like this, cause we all mean something.”

            His words hit her as they landed, Noel getting up and exiting the boat. She stood in the sand and smiled at him, thanking him from the bottom of her heart.

            “Any time, Admin!” he smiled widely and proudly, waving as he set sail back for the base.

            Noel walked up the beach, finding a clear spot to let out Swellow. When she found a clear patch of sand, she felt her heart swell when she thought of the kindness that was stored in her Team. Sure, they were dweebs sometimes, setting themselves on fire with toasters and often putting their shirts on backwards, even starting food fights at dinner, but she knew that’s what a family was. They all were an essential part. As she let Swellow out, she thought of what Sam had said to her on the boat. Every person meant something, either big or small. The world was a puzzle, a puzzle which all the people and Pokémon, all the pieces, were necessary in order to create the perfect image. At heart, she knew that’s how she became a piece. Her dweebish family.

            “Swellow, let’s go to Mossdeep, okay?” she boarded her bird, kissing the top of its head.

            Swellow chirped and took off, flapping its wings and spraying sand around their departure location. Noel’s hair blew in the breeze, her Pokémon skillfully flying over the ocean below them. Nostalgia flooded through her, the heat of the sun reminding her of the boat trip she took all that time ago, when she was meant for the Orange Islands. There was also the memory of Krys and her flying atop Salamence that day they went to the Department Store. That was the day Noel robbed her own house. She smiled at the memory, knowing full well that her city might be angry at her when she landed. Swellow surged with energy as it flew, Noel praising it for being so fast. They saw the gigantic rocket first, docked at its tower, bird Pokémon flying around it as if it were a beacon. As they grew closer, the amount of people on the beach was no surprise. Swellow flew lower, and as they grew ever closer, more people began to look up.

            “Can you land by the house, Swellow? I don’t want there to be a mass gathering.”

            Swellow nodded, turning in the direction of their old home, the home which was still decorated in flowers and pictures, decorated as if she were still a corpse in their minds. Swellow landed lightly, stretching its wings as Noel slid off. She patted her Pokémon’s head and it cooed at her.

            “It’s always good to fly with you, buddy.” she smiled. “I’ll call you out again if I need ya.”

            She returned Swellow to its ball, attaching it once again to her belt. Taking a look around the area, she sighed and adjusted her backpack. Taking the usual path down the grassy road, she was led to concrete stairs that eventually guided her to the Space Center, perched atop a multitude of hills. The Center was the highest point in the whole city. Before she reached the main doors of the Center, a young boy stopped her when his Poochyena went running by her legs. Noel bent down and grabbed it, holding the Pokémon against her chest until the boy could catch up. He was out of breath, it seemed like he was chasing the dog for a while.

            “Pooch! I told you to wait for me!” the boy bent over, hands on his knees, panting.

            “Lucky you that I was walking by, huh?” Noel smiled at the boy.

            The boy straightened up and looked at her.

            “What is that you’re wearing?” he asked.

            “I’m from Team Aqua. Don’t you remember me? I used to live,” she turned and pointed to her house down the hills, “right over there.”

            The boy swiped his Pokémon from her hands and backed away, startling her.

            “My mom says Team Aqua are bad people.” he narrowed his eyes. “Mr. Steven says they’re criminals. He said they took his best friend away!”

            Her eyes widened at his exclamation. “But I’m…”

            “A criminal!” he pointed at her, Poochyena barking with his actions.

            The boy ran off, leaving Noel alone on the path once again, only now she felt guilty. Looking at the road, she straightened up and gripped the straps of her backpack, keeping her mind on the mission. A young boy wasn’t going to deter her focus. She walked up the main stairs leading to the Center, the doors sliding open for her and leading her into the nice and air conditioned lobby. She smiled as she felt the crisp air cool her skin. The blonde woman at the desk recognized her immediately, eyes widening when she walked through the doors.

            “Noel…what a surprise.” she blinked. “What brings you here?”

            “Professor Cosmo summoned me here to assist in his…study.” she raised her eyebrows, assuming the woman knew what she meant.

            “Yes, of course.” she walked around the desk and gestured Noel to walk with her. “I’ll take you to him.”

            “I worked here, April. I know where to go.” she smiled, hoping her ex-associate would lighten her mood.

            “I suppose you’re right, but” April scanned Noel’s outfit with her eyes. “we can never be too careful.”

            Offended, Noel furrowed her brows. April simply walked forward and guided her up the stairs to the second floor. Before they even reached the top of the stairwell, Noel could hear the scientists in a panic, footsteps pounding on the floors as they ran around, papers flying everywhere and whipping around. She sighed, the disorganization she remembered must have still existed. Noel ended up walking past April and escorting herself into the main hub of the research floor. The room was large, like a lecture hall, screens and monitors lining the walls with information, graphs, and images. Nobody was aware of her presence yet, so she stood at the top of the room, watching as her old coworkers dropped papers and spilled their coffee in the rush they must have been in. This was going to be more difficult than she anticipated. Professor Cosmo was at the bottom of the stairs talking with another scientist. His clipboard was a mess, papers nearly falling out and sticky notes stacked on top of one another.

            “This is a wreck.” she shook her head.

            Cosmo nodded his head at the scientist he spoke to and then turned his head, seeing Noel standing with her arms crossed. He scurried up the stairs like an old woman and greeted her with a smile.

            “Noel, thank you so much for coming to our aid!” he shook her hand shakily. “As you can see, everybody is a nervous shamble.”

            “Can you update me on the meteorite?” she asked.

            “The trajectory changed last night, around 2:00 in the morning. Saunders called me from here and I raced right over. When I called your base earlier today, the speed was increasing.”

            She narrowed her eyes. “A meteorite changing its motions like that…it’s impossible.” she set her backpack on a desk, walking down the stairs so she could clearly read the screens. At the sight of her, the majority of the scientists calmed down, either confused or afraid of her.

            “Thank you for having me here.” she looked around the attendance. “And thank you for calming down.” she looked at the screens. “Show me the flight path in succession beginning at midnight to when you noticed the significant change.”

            Someone put the graph on screen, typing in a list of commands. The line on the graph remained straight until it suddenly began to curve. When it reached 1:00 in the morning, it appeared the meteorite was in mid-arc, halfway through the process of turning.

            “No way…” she whispered.

            At the 2:00 mark, as Cosmo said, the meteorite had successfully changed direction. Cosmo walked down next to her and handed her a lab coat, a coat she took and wore with pride.

            “This is so…outlandish.” she whispered. “It’s almost like it’s alive…”

            “If it continues on its projected path, it will collide with Hoenn at a dramatic power, wiping out our region, and probably even more.”

            “How long do we have?” she asked, swallowing nervously.

            “Six days.” Cosmo looked at her bleakly.

            “Ironic.” she smirked. “That’s the same night as the meteor shower.”

            Her smirk faded as she was gripped with the thought of losing Archie.

            “What technology do we have on hand? It takes too long to send a rocket, and I doubt we can blow it up at a safe distance.” she rubbed her chin.

            “We are actually already partnered with Devon Corporation.” he told her. “They suggested using the Infinity Energy we have on hand…to…” he stopped, sensing Noel’s displeasure. “What is it?”

            “You need to enlighten me, Professor. I have no clue what Infinity Energy is. You never told me.”

            “Oh, didn’t I?” he scratched his chin. “Oh, well…” he mumbled.

            “Can you give me the rundown on what that is, please?”

            “Infinity Energy was first developed 3,000 years ago. It was used to power the Ultimate Weapon that brought about calamity that you surely see in folklore. That power is being harnessed by Devon, using it to power technology and our rockets for absolutely positive use. Small amounts of it power your very PokeNav, while larger quantities go into our fuel. It can power just about anything.” Cosmo explained.

            “So we’re dealing with some pretty heavy stuff.” she sighed. “What did Devon suggest? I assume you’re speaking through President Stone about this?”

            Cosmo hesitated. “Actually…”

            “What?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

            “…We’ve mostly been communicating with Steven about this…who has orders from his father…to be arriving in a short while…” he inched away from her slowly.

            “You’re fucking kidding.” she narrowed her eyes.

            “No, my dear, I’m not…” he shielded his face with his clipboard.

            She sighed angrily, pinching the bridge of her nose. Furious aura could be felt around her body. Cosmo, obviously frightened, backed away and up the stairs.

            “I’m sorry, I should have informed you beforehand, I was just afraid you wouldn’t assist if you knew he would be joining us in these efforts…!”

            “Does _he_ know I’m here?” she asked.

            “N-No…”

            “PROFESSOR!” she turned angrily, arms outstretched.

            “We need all the help we can get!” he defended. “You’re my former employee and one of Aqua’s best scientists, so I knew you would be a great help, and Steven has the resources we need to get this done!”

            She sighed again.

            “Oh, by the way, congratulations on your win in the Pokémon League…”

            “YESTERDAY, COSMO. I BEAT HIM YESTERDAY.”

            “I know!”

            Noel walked back up the stairs and went through her bag, finding a hair tie to wrangle her hair up with. She pulled it back into a ponytail, wiping the aggravated sweat from her forehead.

            “He’s not gonna be happy I’m here, you know.” she warned.

            When the anger diluted itself after a good bit of silence, Noel sat down at her old desk, which still had her nameplate on it and her old passcode still worked on her computer. She began typing down notes for herself.

            “Say, Noel…” Cosmo asked.

            “Yes?” she didn’t look up from her screen.

            “What happened between you two?” he asked.

            She looked down at her keyboard. “I found someone else, Professor. And I think Steven had a tough time with that…and now he hates me.”

            “That man who leads your Team?” he asked.

 “Yes.”

            “It was rare…a friendship the two of you held. It’s a shame to see it break like this. I hope you two get along while working through this catastrophe. Perhaps you two will learn something.” he walked away.

            “Professor.” she made him stop. “You explained to me what this Infinity Energy is. Can you explain to me the plan you currently have?”

            “Of course.” he walked back over to her and handed her his clipboard.

            “A ‘Link Cable’?” she furrowed her brows.

            “Using this Infinity Energy, we can power a device like this, a device strong enough to open a warp hole in space. It takes a large quantity of energy, so we won’t be blasting our rockets off anytime soon…”

            “A warp hole?” her eyes widened.

            “Hopefully, if we’re successful, the warp hole will transport the meteorite somewhere else.”

            “Okay, I believe this is no ‘meteorite’. Let’s call this a fuckin’ asteroid because the more we talk about it, the scarier it gets.”

            “Agreed. But yes, the Link Cable Steven is bringing with him will ensure this outcome.”

            Noel nodded, flipping through the papers on Professor Cosmo’s clipboard. Slowly, the plan came together in her mind. She was amazed that a ditz like the Professor came up with this plan all by himself. She smiled, hope filling her body. Until now, her body was numb from the possibility of seeing the world’s end. She handed the clipboard back to Cosmo.

            “I suppose we wait until Steven arrives now?” she asked.

            “Yes.” he looked at his watch.

            Her heartbeat was hard, fighting the anxiousness she felt from having to see Steven again after all of the things they’ve been through. Along with that swam the knowledge of being at a standstill until the Link Cable arrived. Until then, they needed to play the waiting game, and that’s what she hated doing the most. She stood from her desk and approached the top of the stairs again, turning to go to the water cooler at the end of the room. There were other scientists huddled around it like in an office setting. The group moved out of her way so she could get a paper cup to fill with water. She heard nervous whispers from behind her, obviously from the group.

            “She looks so intimidating…do you think she’s still…” one man whispered.

            “Possessed? No, I don’t think so…Steven said she was cured, but I dunno…” another man whispered.

            Noel stood up straight and drank her water, ignoring them as she walked past. Cosmo was waiting by the door frame, anticipating Steven’s arrival. As Noel looked around the room, she realized she was receiving all sorts of strange glances. They were all looking at her uniform like it was a taboo object. She looked down at herself, not seeing anything wrong with her wetsuit or her Aqua crest. She was comfortable in her own skin, but she felt negatively branded.

            “Tch.” she drank her water.

            Crushing the cup when she was finished, she tossed it in the trash can. She sat back down at her desk, looking at the notes she had already typed. Her notes were still there from the original start date of the analysis of the asteroid, the notes about the mass and size. Speed had increased and she made a note of that in red. She typed what the Professor had told her about his plan, typing that in green. As she typed, she heard April’s voice coming up the stairs, aided by another pair of footsteps. She tensed, keeping to her work. She went through old formulas that they may be able to use in the process of the Link Cable. Cosmo sounded rather excited.

            “Steven, my boy! Thank you for coming. I was worried your father didn’t get my message.”

            “Nonsense. As soon as he heard from you, he explained the situation to me. I’m happy to help work through this catastrophe.” Steven’s footsteps were getting louder.

            “And you have the Link Cable with you, yes?” they both reached the top of the stairs.

            “I do.”

            “Perfect.” the Professor swallowed nervously. “Eh, Noel! Could you come here please?”

            “What?!” Steven asked.

            Noel stood from her desk and calmly walked up the stairs to stand next to the Professor. She didn’t make eye contact with her old friend; she instead looked past him like he was a figment. She nodded in greeting.

            “Professor, you can’t be serious.” his voice held an uncomfortable tone to it.

            “Steven, she knows the situation we’re dealing with and she’s one of Aqua’s best. Her mentor and her leader told me that themselves. Her knowledge and your connections will be enough to put this plan at an end.”

            He looked at Noel angrily. “You make a fool of me at the Pokémon League and now you expect me to work alongside you?”

            She smirked. “Steven, I didn’t know you’d be here either, so I was duped by Cosmo as well. I’m not happy about this any more than you are, so please, get your panties out of a twist and we should be fine here.”

            “Steven, the Link Cable?” Cosmo pushed up his glasses.

            Steven fished a small device from his coat pocket and handed it to the Professor. To Noel, it looked like a box with two cords hanging from either side. In the center of the box was a glass orb, looking like the container for the power source. It didn’t look like much from the outside, but there must have been a series of complicated inner workings. Cosmo took it and smiled, scurrying to the front of the room by the monitors and hooking it up.

            “Noel, I’m sending the data of the Link Cable to your computer. You may use it as you wish.” Cosmo told her.

            “Aye.” she nodded.

            “Cosmo,” he ignored Noel. “Dad and I sent May to Granite Cave for a meteorite shard because he said that’s the first step to powering it.”

            “Indeed it is.” he nodded. “Will May be accompanying us as well, then?”

            “Yes. I asked for her help through this because I didn’t know…” he glanced at Noel. “…that she would be here.”

            “I will hold off of the full explanation until she arrives, then. Until she does, Noel can fill you in on what we’ll be doing with the Link Cable. Can you manage that, dear?”

            “Yea.” she nodded. 

            “Good. Move along, you two.” Cosmo shooed them away, beginning to plan out the energy needed to power the cable.

            Noel led Steven back to the top of the room, feeling the hostility in the air. She took deep breaths to keep herself calm.

            “So, what’s the situation with the Link Cable?” Steven asked coolly.

            They stood at a fair distance away from each other.

            “Cosmo plans on filling it with Infinity Energy and creating a warp hole for the asteroid to transport through, sending it away from here. He didn’t give me the full run down because we were waiting for you. But in the meantime, I’ve been calculating the amount of energy that may be needed to fill it along with the speed of the asteroid. I’m assuming that the asteroid might speed up, so I asked Saunders to keep my data directly connected with his.” she explained, crossing her arms.

            “A warp hole?” his eyes flashed with curiosity. “I see… Interesting.”

            “Do you know how long it will take for May to return with the meteorite shard?”

            “I only sent her about an hour ago, so I’ve got no idea.” they continued to avoid eye contact.

            Noel’s stomach growled, making her lift her hand to her stomach and sigh. Of all the things she packed, of course she forgot to pack a lunch. Her grumbling stomach reminded her of something, making her return to her backpack and dig around in it once again. Steven watched as she pulled her PokeNav out and dialed a number.

            “Are you telling me that your PokeNav has been functioning this entire time?” he asked assertively.

            “I just charged it last night?” she raised her eyebrow.

            “No, you idiot.” he sighed. “Never mind…”

            Shrugging, she waited for her call to be put through. She stood in front of her computer and jiggled the mouse, seeing the new tabs that had opened on the screen. She was delighted when Hyde’s face appeared on the screen, bringing a smile to her face.

            “Noel! It’s good to hear from you. What’s the situation with the space rock?” Hyde asked.

            “The asteroid is said to crash into Earth in about six days. We’ve got a plan here; I’m making a file for it and sending it to you now.”

            She compiled the tabs into one folder and typed the Aqua base’s IP address into the ‘connect’ bar. A loading screen went through its progression, leaving a checkmark when the information was shared.

            “Do you see the files?” she asked.

            “Yes, I do. Thank you, my dear.” he put his reading glasses on. “Infinity Energy? I see…I’ll have Shelly look at this as well. She did work for Devon, so she may also have a theory on how to approach this.”

            “Great, that sounds like a plan.” she nodded. “Also, look through my old wavelengths. If they match up with any future material sent to you, call me right away. We need everything we could possibly lay our hands on.”

            She heard Steven walk up behind her and she turned the screen so Hyde wouldn’t see him.

            “Are you alright there? How’s the Professor?” he asked, typing now as well.

            “He’s good. Clumsy as usual.”

            “And how is Mossdeep?”

            “The same. Hey, uh, where’s Archie?” she asked.

            “The last I saw him, he went looking for Matt. Shall I give him a message for you?”

            “Tell him I love him and that I got here safe.” she smiled.

            “Of course. Now I’m going to get back to work, you should as well. I’ll call you if I need you.”

            “Okay, Hyde. Bye.”

            The call ended, screen going black. Noel sighed, tucking the Nav back into her bag. When she stood back up, Steven was still standing with her at her desk.

            “What do you want, Steven?” she asked, irritated. “You’re in my way, I need some water.”

            He didn’t budge.

            “Come _ONNNNN_ let me go by…” she forced herself past.

            Grumbling, she made her way to the water cooler again, chugging down another cup of water, her stomach growling in protest of the liquid. She wanted food, not liquid, but all she had was water and she couldn’t leave until May arrived and was briefed on the situation. She continuously refilled her cup, thinking as she drank. She glanced at Steven, who was still at her desk with his arms crossed, seemingly muttering something to himself. She narrowed her eyes.

            “Would you get away from my desk?” she spoke loudly over to him.

            Without saying anything, he sidestepped away from her desk.

            She tossed her cup in the trash, watching as the silver haired piece of shit walked back up to her, looking into her eyes coldly.

            “What?” she asked.

            “Nothing.” he looked away.

            “You’re acting like a five year old. Boohoo, I won against you in the Pokémon League. You still have your position and you still have your fame. I don’t care if your ego dropped because of it, you still put up a good battle and you don’t have anything to be ashamed of.”

            “I appreciate your words, I think, but that isn’t why I’m upset with you.” he kept his arms crossed.

            “Then please, enlighten me.” she said sarcastically.

            He scanned her outfit with his eyes. She could tell just from that what this was all about. He must have been still upset about her disappearance.

            “Professor Cosmo?” April called from the stairwell. “May is here to see you!”

            Steven turned his head toward the voice, Noel doing the same. Cosmo scurried over to them so all three of them could greet May at once. She walked through the doorway holding a small rock in her hands, approaching Steven with a nod. Professor Cosmo shook her closed hands excitedly.

            “May, hello! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” he tittered. “Thank you for coming.”

            “May, I assume you had no trouble searching for the meteorite shard?” Steven asked.

            She shook her head, looking past Steven and at Noel. Noel nodded in her direction.

            _Three champions in one room. This is more awkward than I anticipated._

“Professor, now that May’s here, will you give us the full run down of your plan?” Noel asked.

            “Yes. If you would follow me down here.” he led them to the bottom of the room, surrounded by all of the screens.

            All three were attentive as Cosmo explained what he knew, Noel occasionally glancing at the other two to see their reactions.

            “May, I assume you’ve heard some of the situation from President Stone already. Our current plan involves using Infinity Energy from our rocket, combined with the life energy of humans found in Key Stones…”

            _Cosmo didn’t tell me that last part. What the hell?_

“We will start by artificially replicating a massive energy that is triggered at the time of Mega Evolution! We will fire a small capsule filled with this energy into space and create a warp hole. By creating such a thing in the path of this asteroid, we hope to be able to transport it somewhere far away from here.”

            “Where will the asteroid end up?” Noel asked.

            “Noel, please, let the man explain.” Steven silenced her.

            She looked at him with a deadly stare.

            “May, this technology actually is already used in our daily lives. It’s incorporated into all of our commonly used devices. I think Noel will understand what I mean when I do this—” he spun around in a circle and jumped into the air. He was trying to act out warp panels…very poorly. “Those panels that spin you around and then out you come, warped to another spot.”

            “Professor…you don’t spin…” she shook her head.

            “No? Well, May should understand anyway.” he nodded and smiled.

            Steven spoke up. “An audacious plan. Using such technology would…”

            “Where will the asteroid be warped to?” Noel spoke above him.

            “Well…I’m not entirely sure, but we do have the device to make these warp holes. That is the Link Cable Steven supplied us with. But Noel, there’s nothing to worry about. Based on our theory, we can at least guarantee that we will be sending it away from our planet.”

            “And possibly into a different planet?” she raised her brow.

            “Possibly.” Cosmo nodded. “But more importantly, Noel, from our scans, I realized that the Link Cable requires more energy to control than we previously thought. Could you do me a favor and run some wavelengths? I want the cable to be full power, but I don’t want to accidentally overcharge it.”

            “Got it.” she nodded and returned to her desk.

            “May, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but do you think you could fetch us another meteorite shard?” Cosmo continued.

            _Cosmo, I understand your thinking, but you dodged my question twice for a reason. If we use this plan, we may be saving our own planet, but what if the asteroid slams into another innocent planet that we don’t know about? If that planet has life, you’d be endangering even more lives. I’m going to pray that you know what you’re doing._

As she ran some tests, she heard April shouting from the first floor. She turned around in her chair to hear someone running up the stairs. Noel saw a woman with short black hair and a tan shawl, a Whismur at her heels. She wore a black shirt with no sleeves and red embellishments, a pair of dark khaki shorts, and she had a dragon-shaped anklet wrapped around her right ankle. She had a big grin plastered on her face, along with a pair of piercing red eyes.

            “Nice! So this is the heart of the famous Space Center everybody talks about!” she shouted. “Pretty impressive, eh, Aster?” she looked down at her Pokémon.

            Noel stood from her desk, taking her lab coat off.

            “Excuse me, miss, you can’t just let yourself in here.” she told her, eyes narrowed.

            The trio surrounded by monitors looked to the voices, startled by their sudden guest. Noel made eye contact with the woman, her eyes like daggers.

            “Where’s the harm in it? Don’t be such a stick-in-the-mud!” she laughed, her eyes moving to her ear. “Wow…would you take a look at that beauty…”

            Noel covered her earring, afraid that it would somehow levitate out of her ear and into the stranger’s hands. Everyone at the bottom made their way to the woman, who didn’t seem to mind her audience. Steven growled.

            “Who are you? You’re no sightseer.”

            “Oh me, we seem to keep running into one another!” she completely ignored Steven, making him angrier. “You’re a busy girl, May.”

            “Wh-who are you?! What are you doing here?!” Cosmo shouted.

            “Professor, calm down before you soil yourself.” Noel walked up to them, gently pushing past him.

            “Well well, who are _you_?” she smiled at Noel. “Oh, wait! I totally know who you are!”

            “I’m not surprised, everybody does.” Noel’s tone was calm.

            “How rude am I, you don’t know who I am.” she placed her hands on her hips. “I’m Zinnia. Just your regular ol’ tourist and nothing more. Dreaming of taking a little trip into space…” she smirked.

            Noel stared at the woman named Zinnia. She knew what she had said about being a tourist wasn’t true. Zinnia looked at all of the screens.

            “Oh, I seeeeee. So this is what’s come of human technology and of hope and blood and sweat and tears and…” she took a breath from her run-on sentence. “Well, the list gets kinda long and boring. But it contains everything, huh?”

            Nobody said a word, baffled by the woman in front of them. Zinnia turned back to them.

            “I know all about it.” her voice lowered. “I know all about the energy you’re using in this rocket thing… It’s the abominable energy that was thought up by humanity 3,000 years ago.”

            Noel listened intently.

            “So, you once again think you’re doing what’s best for humanity? Or best for the whole darn world? It’s a snap of your fingers to repeat the sins of the past. Worse, if what I overheard is true, this time you’re planning to do something even more abominable than before!”

            Steven stepped forward in surprise.

            “Then tell me, would you rather we sit here wringing our hands, waiting for an asteroid to strike us?”

            Zinnia erupted into laughter. “What’s up with that? You’re a pretty simple guy for the former Pokémon League Champion.” she winked at Noel.

            Noel blinked in surprise, looking at May as well, who had been standing there silently this entire time.

            “Well, I guess I’ll hang my hopes on what the two current holders of your title have to say.” she looked at May first. “What do you think, May? You have a better idea, don’t you?”

            All looked at May, who hesitated before nodding her head. Steven’s eyes widened, as did Cosmo’s.

            “Oooh, really! That seems promising!” Zinnia smiled and clapped her hands. She turned to Noel next. “And as I heard, you don’t like this plan, either. You don’t know where the asteroid will go. You weren’t kept in the loop as much as you wanted to be…what do you think, Noel? Do you have a better idea?”

            All eyes were on Noel now. A bead of sweat formed on her face as she thought about the current plan. They were using Infinity Energy, which was completely dangerous since it was used 3,000 years ago to power an ultimate weapon that nearly wiped out Pokémon for good. That is what the legend said. Noel had no clue where the asteroid would end up. Sure, their plan was scientifically sound and it would save them for now, but there was no true answer for where the asteroid would end up. She looked Zinnia in the eye.

            “I don’t agree with the circumstances of this plan and I haven’t thought of a better one…but I just don’t want other lives to be in jeopardy…”

            Zinnia’s eyes sparkled in interest. “Listen, guys. I’m not here to criticize the way you’re looking at this. But I want to be sure that you’ve thought it through well and good. You know,” she looked at Noel. “there are necessary sacrifices, and there are unnecessary sacrifices. What a disappointment! This is the best you could do with all of your knowledge and technology? Instead of trying to make something outta nothing, you’re willing to repeat the mistakes you’ve made in the past, straight up? No, you’re gonna add new mistakes on top—now that really takes the cake.” she narrowed her eyes in disappointment. “You guys need some imagination.”

            _The sass within this woman is powerful._

“But you all were in the middle of a conversation, weren’t you?” Zinnia asked. “Sorry about that. I guess we’ll just let ourselves out then.

            “Allow me to escort you out.” Noel stepped forward.

            Zinnia smiled. “How polite of you! Sure thing, honey!”

            Noel walked forward and nodded at Zinnia, who walked with her out of the research hub and down the stairs. Noel watched Zinnia prance down the stairs in a carefree action. Whismur hopped down each step, Noel being careful and letting it hop in front of her.

            “Zinnia, what you said in there…about sacrifices…what did you mean?” Noel asked, out of earshot of others.

            “Oh, so you caught up on my hints?” Zinnia glanced at her as they reached the lobby. “I knew you would.”

            “You looked at me like you were referring to something specific.” Noel opened the door for her.

            They walked out and stood in front of the building, gazing at the sky whose sun was lowering into the dip of sunset. Time felt slower when engrossed inside the research hub.

            “Honey, you were nearly an unnecessary sacrifice. The resolve you had for your team was great, but what happened to you…” she sighed.

            Noel swallowed, understanding what she meant.

            “You’re a smart girl, Noel. I know you said you don’t have a plan, but you just need to remember what you already know. You need to get creative. But for now…you need to ask yourself… The actions you’re taking now… Are they based on the ideals you cling to? Or are they based on actual truths? And if they are…how much of the truth do you think you know?” she looked at Noel with her red, piercing eyes. “I’ll be back, Noel.” she touched her cheek in a motherly way. “And I’ll know your answer then.”

            Noel didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded. Zinnia patted her cheek before lowering her hand.

            “C’mon Aster. I bet you’re hungry, huh?” she laughed with her little Pokémon.

            Noel watched Zinnia disappear down the stairs to the rest of the island, leaving her alone outside the doors. The doors opened behind her and she heard the angry, grumbling voice of Steven Stone. He grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around so she was looking at him.

            “What the fuck was that in there?!” he shouted. “Not agreeing with the best plan we have?! The loss of lives?!”

            She pulled his hand off of her angrily. “Don’t touch me.”

            “Were you siding with that crazy woman? Talking about truths and ideals and insanity such as jeopardizing the world?”

            She didn’t answer him. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she didn’t have to.     

“Don’t flake on us, Noel. Admit it, this is the best plan there is and we’re going to succeed.” he huffed, crossing his arms.

Her stomach growled louder than it had earlier that day and it was very obvious she was starving. She ignored her stomach and sat on the stairs. She looked at the sky, thinking of what Zinnia had said. The hostility in the air seemed to dissolve as Steven sat down next to her.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” he asked.

“I forgot to pack a lunch.” she pouted, resting her chin on her fist.

“Well at least let me get you something from my house.” he offered, anger leaving his voice.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want anything from you except to leave me alone.” she told him a-matter-of-factly.

He sat there in silence for a few moments until he finally stood back up.

“You continue your research with Cosmo. I have something I need to do at Meteor Falls. If May comes out, tell her that’s where I went.” he walked away without another word.

She watched him leave, letting out an annoyed sigh. She closed her eyes and listened to the atmosphere all around her. She listened to the waves, she listened to the Pokémon flying overhead, and she heard the people walking around in the nearing sunset. The sky was at its mixture of orange and blue, creating the perfect environment for a walk or jog. She inhaled, attempting to cleanse the bad energy from her body. She heard the automatic doors slide open again, making her eyes pop open. May came out of the Center, letting out a huge groan.

“May?” Noel turned her head.

“Oh, it’s you. Hey.” she gave her a half-smile.

“Steven went to Meteor Falls if you’re curious.”

May’s smile faded as she let out an even louder groan. She pouted and sat next to Noel on the stairs.

“Why do I always have to do everything? I had to put Kyogre back to sleep, defeat your team, save your life, defeat the Pokémon League, and now I need to run around to help prevent _another_ catastrophe?” she covered her face with her hands, as if exhausted.

“Thank you, by the way.”

“What?”

“For saving me down there, in the Cave of Origin. I understand you have no idea who I am, I’m some woman, and you had to rescue me from my own mess. I appreciate it highly.” she nodded.

May sighed. “I can’t just let somebody die…”

“How old are you, May?” Noel asked.

“I just turned sixteen a few days ago… And nobody really cares. There’s always something else I have to do, whether it be an errand for Steven or a battle that means a lot.”

“Well, Happy Birthday.” Noel smiled.

“Thank you…” she smiled too, looking at her feet. “Noel, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-five years old…” she looked at the sky. “I remember being sixteen like it was yesterday…but it was so long ago…”

“What was your favorite part of being sixteen, Miss?”

Noel’s eyes sparkled. “My father granting me my Key Stone…”

“They had Key Stones that long ago?” May was interested.

“Yea… It’s not like I’m a dinosaur, May.” she laughed. “Life may seem like a bore right now, or even excruciating because of what’s happening in the world right now, but when it’s all over, there’s so much for you to look forward to.”

“That’s what my mom says.” May played with her thumbs. “What’s your mom like, Noel?”

“I never knew my mother.” Noel said.

“What?” May’s eyes widened.

“She was killed when I was a toddler.” her smile faded. “I hardly remember her face. But I know she was an innocent woman, a beautiful woman.”

“I’m sorry…” May looked down at her feet again. “I didn’t know…”

“It’s okay. I learned enough from my father to become who I am today, and I’m fine with that.”

“My dad’s a Gym Leader in Petalburg…”

“NO WAY. NORMAN?”

May blinked. “Uh…yea. Why, do you know him?”

“I battled him when I was your age! I kicked his ass.”

“Aight.” she sighed. “You know, it’s weird to be talking to a criminal.”

_Criminal._

“After all, your goons are running around looking for Key Stones as we speak. That Matt guy tried to steal Wally’s earlier today.”

“What?” Noel asked, eyes wide.

“Yea. That big muscley guy is running around trying to snatch up Key Stones. He battled me       earlier today.”

“But I just saw him this morning…” she muttered to herself. “That’s why Archie couldn’t find him!” she stood up in a flash. “Thank you, May! Holy shit, you just answered a question of mine! Thank you!”

Noel dashed back into the Space Center, leaving May dazed and confused. She sprinted up the stairs and pushed by Cosmo by accident, apologizing and nearly falling down the steps in the center of the room on her way to her desk. Her hands floundered for the PokeNav, dialing Archie’s number in a type of panic. Cosmo looked at her, pushing up his glasses with a puzzled expression.

“Come on, Archie, pick up…” she whispered to the screen.

Archie’s face appeared on the screen, obviously pleased to be hearing from her. He smiled wide.

“Noel! I was wondering when you’d call your hunk of man.” he raised his brows and chuckled.

“I’m happy to see you babe, and I love you bunches, but I need to know where Matt is.”

“Matt? I actually just talked to him like you asked me to. I couldn’t find ‘im this morning, so I kinda gave up after a while. But yea, we literally just had our bro time.”

“I spoke with May and she told me he battled her this morning while trying to steal someone’s Key Stone.”

“Matt stealing a Key Stone? Why the hell would he do something like that?” Archie asked, bewildered.

“I…I don’t know, actually…” she admitted.

“Babe, are you sure you’re not just working too hard? You get a little paranoid when you over exert yourself.” he said, concern in his voice.

“Maybe…I dunno…” she sighed, sitting down in her chair and looking into the screen. “You might be right, though…”

“But hey, I’ll keep an eye on him, okay? I’m worried about him too. He seemed a little off today, so don’t worry your cute head about it. I’ll call you if he gets out of whack or something.”

“Thank you…” she smiled.

“What’d you have for dinner?”

She laughed nervously and scratched her neck.

“You forgot to pack food, didn’t you?” he rolled his eyes with a smirk. “You’re a dweeb.”

“Yea, but I’m _your_ dweeb.” she stuck her tongue out.

“Damn right you are.” he laughed. “Get a good night sleep tonight, got it? I don’t want you pulling any all-nighters. Don’t go turning into Hyde on me.”

“Speaking of, is Hyde keeping you updated? I have a direct feed channeling information to him.”

“Yup. Shelly’s helping too, and honestly, she loves it. So we’re good back home, Noel.”

“Good to hear…”

“I can see the Professor from behind you and it looks like he wants you. So I’ll let you get back to work. I love you.”

Her heart fluttered. “I love you too.”

With a wave, he hung up. Her heart hurt to see his face leave her screen, but she knew she had work to do. Standing up, she turned to see Cosmo approaching her.

“I’m sorry for pushing you, I was in a hurry.” she apologized again.

“It’s okay, it’s just…the way you did it seemed a little familiar. I don’t recall you shoving me before, but I feel like you actually have…” he pondered.

Knowing full well what he was trying to remember, she covered it with a smile.

“Professor, I’d never shove you on purpose. I don’t have the heart to do that.”

“I suppose you’re right, I’m sorry.” he smiled back. “I have some more information to send you, just hang tight…” he walked off.

_Why did I just do that?_ The smile remained on her face. _I just lied to him. I thought I was done covering up who I was. Am I afraid of what he’ll say to me? Or perhaps that he’ll be disappointed?_

“Here’s the latest data from the Link Cable with a meteorite shard inside. The wavelength changed from when we had just the Infinity Energy inside. I think it’d be great if you took a look at it.”

“Will do.” she nodded and sat down.

Cosmo sent the wavelengths to her computer. To her surprise, the wavelengths looked somewhat familiar.

“Hmm…”

She minimized all of her tabs and searched through the folder her and Hyde were sharing over the network. To her delight, Hyde shared her wavelengths from the meteorite, Latiasite, and Swampertite over the network, so now both of them were dealing with all of the information they could ever have. Hyde must have had his socks rocked at this point because all of this information was a giant cesspool waiting to be dipped into. She opened her file on the original meteorite she stole from Cosmo and compared it to the meteorite shard.

“Bingo…” she smiled to herself.

The shard and the meteorite were a direct match.

“That means we’re dealing with something powerful, right? How is the Infinity Energy connected to the meteorite…?” she asked herself.

She knew the Latiasite had some sort of parallel as well, considering its wavelength was originally similar to that of the meteorite and the Mega Stone for her Swampert. She continued to type in equations that fit all of the surrounding wavelengths, trying to find a connection. As she worked, scientists around her turned their monitors off and yawned, leaving the research hub and for home. Noel looked at the clock on her taskbar. It was already 8:00 at night, but it didn’t seem like bedtime just yet.

“Shit, time sure flies when you’re working here…” she mumbled.

More scientists turned off their monitors and said goodnight to her and Cosmo as they left, all actually frightened of her. She didn’t care about what time it was, only about what she was working on. Eventually, it was only her, Saunders, and Cosmo left in the research hub. Saunders stretched and looked up at her from his desk lower on the hall floor.

“Remember that I leave at midnight, so my computer will stop feeding you live links.” he yawned.

“Yea, yea, I know. I’ll be heading off to bed soon anyway, don’t worry about it.” she waved his worry away.

“Well, you’ve got an hour.” he smiled. “I’ve never seen you work this hard.”

“I’m on a roll, Saunders.”

Cosmo chuckled, still fiddling with the Link Cable. He explained to them how the launch of the capsule was going to work with the Link Cable inside. She thought his plan was all good and sweet, but she was figuring something out in her head as she typed. Code after code, wave after wave. Hyde must have been seeing it too, because his activity of downloads was increasing as she worked. However, his activity stopped at 11:45, fifteen minutes before midnight. She assumed that he either fell asleep at his keyboard or went to bed.

“Noel?” she heard Saunders say. “Soon means fifteen minutes. It’s been forty-five.”

“Shush, I’m on a roll.” she repeated.

He sighed, obviously giving up. He walked up through the hub and wished the two remaining scientists a nice night. He could be heard leaving down the stairs. Cosmo approached Noel’s desk.

“What exactly are you so keen on finding, Noel?” he asked.

“Well, you told me to analyze the wavelengths. I did. Then I found a connection with Aqua’s work, so I dug a little deeper. I’m finding more puzzle pieces that could lead us to success.” she smiled.

“Well, great! Just go to bed soon, dear. I’m sure that Archie fellow would murder me if he found out you were awake too long…” he shuddered.

“I said I was going to bed soon, so don’t worry about it.” she reassured him.

“Alright, I’ll believe you. I’m going to turn in myself, to be quite honest.”

“Go on home, Professor. I’ll be fine here.” she patted his arm.

“Alright, Noel. Have a good night.” he left her be.

“Goodnight, Professor.”

Cosmo could be heard leaving down the stairs, footsteps eventually fading into silence. Noel looked around her, the science hub left all to herself. She relished in that, standing from her desk and getting a cup of water without any of the stares from before. The silence was eerie, given the fact the hub was abnormally dark, but she didn’t mind. It reminded her of home and how the halls were dimmed at this hour. She gulped down several cups of water before heading back to her desk, eager to finish the connection of data she made. She rubbed her eyes, the sleep trying to make her stop, but she knew she couldn’t. As she typed, she began to use trial and error. Zinnia told her to be creative with the information she already had, which she was attempting at that moment. If the meteorite and meteorite shard were the same wavelengths, then that meant they were both connected to the same strand of power held in the Pokémon not found in Aqua’s database. If the Latiasite was similar to both, it could only mean one thing.

“A Legendary Pokémon…?” she yawned.

Her clock read 1:00 a.m. Now that she had a link of where the information was trying to lead her, the next step was research. If there was indeed a legendary Pokémon involved, she needed to clear the air on what exactly it was. Her eyes continuously tried shutting.

“I’ll rest my eyes for a good twenty minutes, then I’ll hit the research…” she told herself, laying her head on her elbows on top of her desk. “I’ll figure this out…” she yawned again.

She closed her eyes and listened to the humming of her computer.

 

**5:00 A.M.**

Noel felt a shaking on her shoulder, making her blink awake. It was a tad lighter in the research hub, making her confused at first. The humming of her computer monitor remained.

“Noel, come on, wake up…” a voice mumbled.

Groggily, she sat up. Her vision was blurry and her arms had a pins-and-needles feeling. She inhaled sleepily and stretched, hands bumping whoever was trying to make her rise.

“What…what time is it…?” she rubbed her eyes.

“5:00.” the person answered.

“What…?!” she wiggled her mouse, making the darkened screen of her computer light up. Her clock read 5:03.

“You obviously fell asleep.” the voice sighed.

Noel turned, still blinking furiously to banish the drowsiness from her eyes. The voice belonged to Steven. He had his arms crossed, standing over her with seemingly forced irritation in his eyes.

“You need to go home.” Steven told her.

“Nuh uh, I’m almost…” she yawned again. “…done…”

“Noel, you’re working yourself too hard. Come on, let’s go.” he took her hand and helped her up.

She walked past him, not thanking him for his help. She picked up her backpack and attempted to walk up the stairs. She tripped, but didn’t fall down. Her walking resembled that of a drunk person’s, only she was too tired to understand what the word ‘drunk’ meant. She felt Steven’s hand on her shoulder again, another sigh escaping his mouth. He guided her up the stairs.

“I can do it…” she told him.

“Yes, you can…” he lied. “You’re right.”

Even though he had said what he had, he still guided her up the stairs. Noel seemed to forget the feeling of his hand there, so she didn’t say anything else.

“What are you doing here…?” she asked. “You should be at home, sleeping…”

“I had errands to run. I took a short nap when I returned, but when I passed your home, it was still locked and dark. I figured you were still here.” he explained.

They reached the stairwell to go down to the lobby, and Steven stopped her, which she detested.

“Don’t get ornery with me. You’ll fall if I let you walk down the stairs.” he bent down, scooping her up.

“Your hands are freezing.” she told him.

“Your hair smells like the sea.”

“Touché.”

He held her and walked down the stairs. She didn’t protest for the sheer fact that he was right, she was too out of it to judge whether up was down or left was red.

“You can’t overwork yourself like this, Noel.” he sighed. “It isn’t good for you.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t have the right to tell me what’s good for me.”

When they reached ground level, Noel pushed off of Steven so she could stand on her own. She grumbled, brushing herself off like he vile garbage. He was.

“You’re welcome.” he narrowed his eyes at her.

“I didn’t ask you to help me, or wake me up for that matter.” she walked over to the doors and walked out.

“I’m only looking out for you!” he retaliated.

“I didn’t _ask_ you to look out for me!” she shouted back, now in the crispness of the early morning.

“I just want to—”

“What? Take care of me? Protect me?” she was slowly waking up, anger becoming her fuel.

“Yes!” he shouted at her.

“Why?!” her voice escalated further. “I told you not to!”

“Because…because…” he grabbed his hair angrily, as if he was trying to avoid erupting completely.

 “It’s obvious that you hate me! You _detest_ me! All of you, ever since I’ve stepped foot back in Mossdeep, you all _DESPISE_ me! You’ve all labeled me as some sort of criminal! You think I don’t hear people talk? You think I don’t notice how people look at me? You don’t have the right to approach me and say you want to look out for me! I told you Steven, I don’t want you looking out for me! I can hardly even stand talking to you at this close of a distance! So why? Tell me, Steven Fucking Stone, why do you feel the _fucking need_ to try and continue looking out for me?!”

“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, DAMMIT!” tears escaped his eyes. “BECAUSE I FUCKING LOVE YOU!”

Noel’s eyes widened. She didn’t lose the irritation in her face, she only felt the sudden surprise of having his words being screamed at her.

“Noel…fucking dammit…” he covered his face with his hands. “Why don’t you understand…?”

“Because, Steven.” her voice lowered. “I already told you. I love Archie, not you.”

“That isn’t what I mean…” his voice shook. “When you left for the Orange Islands…I was so worried about your trip…” he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “And then I saw the news…of how you were unaccounted for…”

Her face softened, deciding to listen to his story.

“I hired the best people to search for you. When they came up empty…I lost control of myself…” he continued to cry. “I didn’t sleep, I didn’t eat, and I didn’t battle. When I did sleep, I had nightmares. Cruel, cruel nightmares…you would come back to me, but it turned out to be an illusion. And then…there was the one day on the Southern Islands…where I met an Aqua Grunt who had your eyes…and any calmness I had held onto fled, making me a wreck. I chased after her, but she and that Matt fellow disappeared on a Salamence. May was afraid to speak to me for some time after that…because I was so upset… Then the night where Mr. Sturth said he had seen your ghost…my heart disintegrated. I was torn apart, thinking you had visited your home and your family…so lost… I was supposed to be put at ease…and I slowly began to accept it. It wasn’t easy, but I got over your death…slowly…”

He hiccupped.

“The day of the downpour, I met your…crew…on the sandbar…and there you were…in a heap in that man’s arms… I couldn’t believe it. There you were, alive, but you were in shambles. You were a bloody, fucked up mess…and I was still so happy to see you alive… That man…Archie…he said that he was your lover. I couldn’t believe my ears. And when he told me that you were an Admin…of Team Aqua…I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Surely, I must have been dreaming, right? No. I wasn’t that lucky.” he fell to his knees in tears. “Do you have any idea what it was like to have you taken from me, and then ripped from me again when I had the highest delight of seeing you alive?! DO YOU?!” he wailed. “I had gotten over you! I went through the lengths to try and forget you! But you were presented to me as a cheap trick! You awakened what I had buried deep within my heart and shredded it like a plaything! That is why I’m so angry, that is why I detest you so! You have no compassion! You don’t _UNDERSTAND_ HOW IT _FELT_!”

Noel clenched her fists, face growing pale from his explanation. As he sobbed in front of her, she didn’t know what to do. She erupted into tears as well.

“What do you expect me to do then…?” her voice shook. “Leap into your arms and apologize? Tell you that I was wrong?”

“I just…I just…”

“I want to go home…” she turned from him and walked around the building.

“Noel!” he shouted. “Please!”

She collapsed onto her knees and cried, wailing Archie’s name into the sky and feeling her nose run from her sadness.

“I want to go home…!” she wailed into her hands.

The wave of sadness and confusion could be felt in the air. Noel’s words and tears reached all ears that were awake. Her emotions seeped into the red eyes watching from atop the Space Center.


	11. Ticking Down

Noel didn’t keep track of the time after her and Steven’s explosions, so she huddled under a tree in tears until she could pull herself together. Luckily for her, the tree she remained under was in a secluded spot next to the Space Center, a place nobody truly cared for or journeyed to. She used her backpack as a pillow, unsure of what else to do except for lie there. The shade covered her nicely, not too much sun filtering through the leaves, only the humidity giving her the warmth she needed. Steven’s words branded her mind as if it were punishment. She closed her eyes, listening to the voices that proceeded up the stairs of the Space Center. She didn’t move, she didn’t open her eyes, she just laid there. A world in jeopardy and there she was, curled in a hopeless ball of self-pity under a tree. She felt like the moody protagonist in a badly-written romance novel, just sitting there as the time passed by. She knew that Steven had left a long while ago, surely going to get some sleep or to perhaps contact May. Either way, she didn’t care.

            “How dare he say that to me…” she sat up finally, wiping her face of its sadness and looking at the Space Center. “I need to start my research. Fuck him…” she stood up.

            She put her backpack on and walked into the Space Center, making a beeline for the restroom so she could change into her spare uniform. Wearing the same pair of pants for 24 hours got to be a little uncomfortable, so she had packed more than one. She had some regular clothes in there too, but hey, she needed to keep up her appearance. When she emerged from the bathroom, she didn’t make eye contact with April, or any of the scientists that could have heard her that morning from her and Steven’s outbursts. She made her way to her desk, sitting down in the indent made from her butt. Cosmo approached her.

            “Noel, you look terrible.” he told her, sounding concerned.

            “Wow, okay.” she raised her eyebrows in surprise, speaking sarcastically. “Thanks, Professor!”

            “No, wait, I mean—”

            “I look tired?” she smiled.

            “Yes.” he breathed out, realizing she was joking.

            “I didn’t get much sleep last night, but I got us on a path to somewhere!” she clapped her hands together.

            “Fantastic!” he smiled wide. “I have some news as well, regarding the use of the Link Cable. Earlier this morning, I sent Steven back to Devon to retrieve a specially made control system for it called the Dimensional Shifter.”

            “I assume with that, we’ll be able to generate warp holes?” she asked.

            “Precisely. So until Steven returns, that is the plan we’re banking on. You do what research you seem to be invested with and I’ll let you know if I need anything else from you.”

            “Got it, Professor.” she nodded as he walked away.

            _Jeez. How awkward is it going to be when Steven comes back and Cosmo will ask me to work with him? Well, I suppose it won’t be any different than how it was before._

Her screen lit up when she wiggled the mouse. It popped on without having her log in.

            “Shit, I better learn to lock this…if anybody saw my data from Aqua, I might be screwed…” she whispered to herself, leaving her a mental note.

            _First thing’s first, I need to do research on legendaries. More specifically, what Legendary Pokémon has a tie to meteorites? Let’s start with that._

She searched online for any connections between meteorites and Pokémon. There were multiple articles on a Pokémon named Rayquaza. She clicked on one site, humorously named Bulbapedia, and looked through the images and information that appeared. There were no true photographs or pictures of the like, just crude cave paintings and etchings. It appeared to be a gigantic, green, snake-like creature which was capable of flight, keeping refuge to the sky. There was an etching of what seemed to be it, Kyogre, and a red Pokémon, presumably Groudon. A flash of pain seared across the front of her head, making her eyes shut.

            “Fuck…no, not this bullshit again…” she hissed, holding her head in pain.

            The pain was short, dissipating quickly. She exited out of that image as soon as her vision was clear again, not wanting to risk any further pain. She breathed out, glancing around to see if anybody had noticed her small episode. Thankfully, everybody in the hub was keeping to their own business, so she was safe. She still couldn’t stand looking at Kyogre without some sort of negative reaction. Looking more into Rayquaza, there wasn’t much listed. The only thing able to spark her interest was a specific entry.

            _“Summoned by the power of one’s ‘Fervent Wish’, which is classified as harnessing the power of multiple Key Stones to grant power to one’s desires. Said power of the wish is said to activate the meteorites said to be kept in the beast’s belly, bringing it forth to the wisher.”_

She bit her lower lip, squinting at the screen.

            “Fervent Wish, huh?” she mumbled.

            She remembered when Zinnia first walked into the Space Center the previous day.

            _“Wow…would you take a look at that beauty…”_ she had said.

            Noel’s eyes widened, hand on her earring.

            _“You guys need some imagination.”_ she remembered her saying.

            _There’s no way she was referring to…_ She gulped, thought being cut short.

            Her PokeNav rang, startling her. When she whisked it up, she figured it would be Archie or Hyde, but sadly, it was only Steven. She sighed and answered the call, only to be met with Steven’s very red face. His eyes were sporadic, his teeth clenched.

            “Yea, what do you want?”

            “I knew it.” Steven growled. “I _knew_ you weren’t with us!”

            “What are you talking about now?” Noel asked.

            “You fucking traitor!” he shouted. “Your goons just stormed into my father’s corporation and stole the Dimensional Shifter! I saw it myself!”

            “Wait, what?!”

            “I fucking knew it… You’re nothing but a greedy criminal. You don’t care about the rest of us!”

            “Steven, calm down. Who stole the Dimensional Shifter? Was he big with muscles?” she asked.

            “You ordered them here, so why don’t _you_ tell _me_ who stole it?!”

            “Answer my question, dammit.”

            “Yes, it was a big and muscle-toned man.”

            “Thanks.” she hung up on him.

            She darted from her chair and made her way to Professor Cosmo, who was busy talking with Saunders. He turned when he noticed the urgency in Noel’s voice.

            “Professor, I need you to listen to me.” she breathed. “Steven just called and told me one of my friends from Aqua has stolen the Dimensional Shifter.”

            “What?!” his eyes widened.

            “Please, listen to me.” she calmed him down before he could also begin throwing around accusations. “I didn’t order him to do this, nor do I have any part in Matt’s outrageous behavior. You’ve been with me, or at least around me, nearly the entire time I’ve been here. Hell, I didn’t even know what any of this technology was, so how would I be able to set up a plan like this? Professor, please believe me, I had nothing to do with this.”

            Cosmo looked her in the eye before letting out a sigh.

            “I believe you, Noel. You would never steal from me or do anything to possibly harm others. On purpose, anyway.” he coughed. “What shall we do about this?”

            “Matt has been…scatterbrained as of late. I think I know where he’s going with that Shifter. Or, rather, coming.” she explained.

            “He’ll be making his way here?” Cosmo asked.

            “I believe so. I think I can talk to him when he arrives, so hopefully I can get him to snap out of it.”

            He nodded. “Let’s hope so. We need that Shifter in order for this plan to work. If we lose that…we have no other alternative…”

            “I understand. For now, try not to worry. Matt may be big and, well, dumb, but he’s not an absolute idiot.”

            Noel turned and walked back to her desk, anxious about both Steven’s words and the Professor’s. All she could think of was their differing attitudes towards both her and the situation at hand. Steven had called her a traitor and a criminal, but at this point, she couldn’t give less fucks about his feelings. Cosmo believed that Noel would never intentionally steal from him or endanger Pokémon and people. She sighed painfully, knowing that that wasn’t true. Matt was most likely on his way here, and Noel needed to fix the issue before it could further derail. Should she call Archie about this? That would be the logical thing to do. She didn’t hesitate, dialing Archie’s number on the PokeNav. It rang and rang, but nobody answered. She clicked her tongue in disappointment, the call cancelling. Her second attempt was to Hyde. She knew for a fact that he was plastered to his lab work, so he was bound to hear her call and answer. It began to ring, and to her delight, Hyde picked up, reading glasses and all.

            “Noel, what’s going on? You look troubled.”

            “Archie didn’t pick up his Nav. Can you relay a message to him?”

            “Yes, of course.” he nodded.

            “Matt stole a piece of equipment necessary for, well, saving the world. He doesn’t seem to be thinking straight, and I have a feeling he’s on his way here to steal the Link Cable as well. Please let Archie know about this. I’m going to try to talk to him when he arrives.”

            “Okay, I’ll be sure to tell him. Matt has been squirrely lately, but I didn’t think he would interfere with your work like this. I’ll tell Archie ASAP.”

            “Thank you!” she smiled.

            The call ended, letting her stand and try to think of what she was going to say. Surely, Steven was going to be angry for hanging up on him. All that mattered was that Archie was now being told about the situation. She heard April shouting on the lower floor, alerting both Noel and Cosmo. There were heavy footsteps approaching, and Noel knew it had to be Matt. She and the Professor made eye contact, the Professor obviously concerned that Steven couldn’t get here first. Matt burst into the room, a cocky grin on his face. Noel walked up the stairs and met him at the top.

            “Sis!” he blinked in surprise. “What are you doin’ here?”

            “Matt, I was called here to assist the Professor. Haven’t you been paying attention?” she asked.

            “I, uh, I’ve been a little busy.”

            “Trying to steal Key Stones?” she raised an eyebrow.

            “How did you—”

            “And stealing a very important piece of equipment?!” she grew more agitated.

            “Noel, c’mon, you gotta hear me out! I have the perfect plan that’ll make bro proud!” he grabbed her shoulders and smiled.

            “Matt, what are you talking about?” she was afraid his hands would break her shoulder blades.

            “I know you and Archie have been swayed on your motives ever since the Kyogre situation, our plans got off track. I have a plan to move us forward. I have a plan that will make his dreams come true!”

            “Matt, I don’t think you understand the situation. Do you have any idea why I’m here?”

            “Not really.” he shook her words off, looking around the room.

            “Matt, the situation we’re in is incredibly dangerous. I need you to give me back the Dimensional Shifter!”

            “You know what, Noel, why are you trying to fight me on this?!” Matt shouted. “Don’t you want to fulfill Archie’s dreams?!”

            “I do, but the plan we had before was too much!” her voice elevated as well. “Matt, I almost died! We nearly killed all the people and Pokémon on Earth! You think that was the best possible turn out?!”

            “No! You need to trust me, Noel! I know what I’m doing!”

            “Matt, the Shifter is our last hope to save the planet! You need to hand it over to me NOW.”

            “Noel, you’re either with me or against me!”

            She let out an irritated groan, unsure of how else to handle the situation. Matt wasn’t listening. In fact, he was barking at the scientists to stay seated and not bother to stand up again. Cosmo stood his ground in the pit, guarding the Link Cable. He and Noel locked eyes, nodding at each other in understanding. Matt cracked his knuckles, proud of the fact he was able to completely shut down progress in the research hub.

            “How many grunts are with you?” Noel asked, refusing to sit or step down.

            “About eight. I’ve got the quintuplets and three others.” he answered.

            “What are you going to do now, Matt?”

            “I need that Link thing.” he turned his head to Cosmo menacingly. “So you gotta step aside, man.”

            “For what, Matt?” she pleaded with him. “Please, just tell me… If you’re doing this for Archie, I deserve to know too.”

            “I already told you before, Noel.” he didn’t look at her. “I’m fulfilling my bro’s dream by myself.”

            He glared at Cosmo, trying to make his stance falter. Cosmo’s face grew sweaty with fear, and for a very good reason. Matt was capable of snapping anybody in half if he wanted to.

            “Bring it up here.” Matt ordered.

            Cosmo’s hands shook, picking up the Link Cable and carrying it up the stairs to hand to the juggernaut of a man.

            “I’m sorry, Professor…” Noel whispered.

            “It isn’t your fault.” he nodded, handing Matt the Link Cable.

            “Sweet!” he pushed Cosmo away from him, startling the poor man and making him run for the corner.

            To Noel’s dismay, she could hear the frantic footsteps of Steven and, most likely, May, climb up the stairs. The timing on his part was impeccable, his quest for making her blood pressure rise successful. Steven stormed in and briskly walked towards them.

            “I fucking knew it! You were in cahoots!” his face was red with anger.

            “Steven, no! I’m trying to handle this!” she shouted.

            “Noel, are you on talking terms with this guy?” Matt stood next to her now.

            She could have ripped her hair out from frustration, so she stood in the middle of the group. She preferred not to be on either side at this point.

            “Team Aqua…” Steven growled. “What are you planning on doing with that device? Don’t you realize that it is the last hope we have of saving the planet?”

            “Funny, Noel said the same thing. I don’t quite get what you mean by that.” Matt shrugged.

            Matt seemed to let out a sort of laughter that mimicked both confusion and heartiness. Noel looked at him, wanting to officially explain.

            “I ain’t laughin’ one bit, punk.” Matt sneered.

            _Matt you were literally just fucking laughing, stop._

“My bro… My bro who I loved so much…” he continued, looking at Noel. “You never gave me my answer. Were our ideas all wrong?”

            “Matt, please—” she tried.

            “My family’s changed since they got mixed up with you, champion boy!” he pointed at Steven.

            “How easy it must be, to plant blame on another.” Steven said.

            “I…I…!” Matt growled. “Shut up!”

            Noel was going to speak up, but Matt finally spilled the beans.

            “You know what? That rocket’s got crazy amounts of energy! It’s even more awesome than the ultimate weapon that ended the war 3,000 years ago, right?”

            Noel’s eyes widened.

            “If I use the Key Stone I found at Meteor Falls, I can force the energy inside the rocket to explode… It’d be like a Mega Evolution for the rocket!” he laughed.

            “Matt--!”

            “Who needs an asteroid? I’m gonna end all things with my own power! The one who will complete Project AZOTH and take the world back to its beginnings is me!” he boomed.

            _So he was playing dumb…he knows full well what’s going on here._

“I’m gonna do what my bro couldn’t do.” he finished.

            “You fool.” he turned to May. “This incredible fool really intends to do it!”

            While May and Steven talked, Matt looked down at Noel.

            “So, Noel, what’s it gonna be? Are you with me or against me?”

            “Matt, this is suicide…” she narrowed her eyes, trying to plead with him. “You need to let this go, it isn’t worth it.”

            “What do you mean?!” he exploded, scaring everyone in the room. “Of course it is! What, don’t you think I’m good enough to do it?! That my resolve is flawed?!”

            “Matt, no! You’re acting childish and crazy! You know the consequences, so please, just stop here!” Noel begged. “Give me the Dimensional Shifter!”

            As she shouted those words, a little Whismur zoomed in the middle of the group and snatched the Dimensional Shifter out of Matt’s possession. It was startling, for a man of his stature to be easily bested by a small pink creature. Noel watched the Whismur scuttle away in amazement.

            _That Pokémon…doesn’t it belong to…_

Confident words revealed Noel’s correctness.

            “Nice one, Aster!”

            Matt and Noel were in the rear of the group, May and Steven in the middle now that Zinnia made her appearance in the hub. Whismur held the Shifter with a proud expression. Steven’s eyes widened, as if he wasn’t expecting her reappearance. Noel, however, had been somewhat anticipating this.

            “You’re the…” Steven spoke.

            “The Draconid, yup.” Zinnia smiled. “But you _can_ just call me Zinnia.”  

            Zinnia thanked her adorable companion and patted it on the head, only returning attention to them when Matt could be heard cracking his knuckles. Noel took his fists and lowered them, telling him it was rude to do that in a group meeting like this. He apologized.

            “That is quite the impressive machine you’ve got there. Snap your fingers, the asteroid vanishes, and we all live happily ever after?” she clapped her hands, sarcasm bursting from her very being. “Bravo! Just like the former champion said!”

            Steven’s expression wavered when she said ‘former’, knowing he was accompanied by two of the victors.

            “This thing is the best hope we have of saving this planet and everything on it.” she explained. “But you know…” she looked at Noel. “It could be the worst possible tragedy imaginable for some other world and everything on it.”

            “What are you trying to say?” Steven asked.

            “I’m not talking to you, so you don’t get it.” she snapped. “But Noel gets it. Right, honey?”

            “I do.” she nodded.

            “And May?” Zinnia continued. “Do you agree as well?”

            May didn’t say anything, but she nodded.

            “I’m glad to know that.” she smiled, a smile that faded quickly. “My people knew it. They understood. From generation to generation, we pass along the lore about the distortions in the world borne by the Mega Evolution mechanism. And about the existence of another world, which we have long observed to be just like this one yet not the same. That’s right, a Hoenn region that’s almost exactly like the one we live in. It’s filled with Pokémon and people like us. A world where evolution took a slightly different path, where Mega Evolution is unknown… A world where that war 3,000 years ago never happened. A world where the Ultimate Weapon was never even built. And in that Hoenn of that world…what would happen if out of the blue, an asteroid appeared? What would happen to the people of that world, without the technology to destroy it or warp it away?”

            Noel nodded, understanding that her qualms of Steven and Cosmo’s plan were justified. May didn’t express much emotion, but Noel could tell that she believed in her beliefs as well. Zinnia turned to the men, disappointment in her eyes.

            “Looks like it’s beyond the power of _your_ understanding.”

            Looking Steven directly in the eye, she took the Dimensional Shifter from Whismur and crushed it in her hands. A rippling shout, one shared by scientists and Steven alike, echoed across the research hub. Remains of the device crumbled to the floor, Zinnia stomping on them and smooshing them with her foot. Surprisingly, Cosmo spoke up from behind Matt.

            “What kind of fool are you?! You have no substantive proof, and yet you claim another world, just like ours, exists?!”

            Steven covered his mouth. “You’ve destroyed our final hope…from this…fantasy of yours…”

            Zinnia smiled. “Farewell, brief hope.”

            Cosmo shouted some more. “Now what are we to do?!”

            “Calm down there, Prof.” Zinnia took the words from Noel’s brain. “It’ll be okay. We can protect this world _and_ the other.”

            “Who is this ‘we’?” Steven raised a brow. “What are your intentions?”

            “Noel, do you wanna fill us in?” she smiled.

            “Huh?” Noel blinked.

            “You know what I wanna do, right, honey?” she winked.

            All eyes were on her. Matt, confused as hell, just needed to find a reason to remain in the conversation. Bubbling anger could be felt by all of the scientists, including Cosmo, as well as Steven. She realized that Zinnia wanted to summon Rayquaza, a goal she thought was ludicrous until this very second.

            “You looked it up on your computer, right?”

            Noel’s eyes darted to her desk.

            “I get it, you’re a little shy. Either that, or you’re afraid you’re wrong.” Zinnia placed her hands on her hips.

            Steven ran down to Noel’s desk, making her scream in protest. Zinnia blinked and watched him enter Noel’s computer.

            “Oh yea, I almost forgot.” Zinnia looked at Matt. “There’s something else I came here for.”

            In a flash, Zinnia passed by Noel and grabbed the Key Stone in Matt’s possession, a stone that was embedded in his gold chains. She gave Noel a gentle nudge while passing by. Matt was surprised, once again being bested by such an agile individual. Zinnia, as quick as she had leapt, returned to her original spot next to her Whismur. She gazed at the stone, enchantment filling her eyes.

            “That’s another stone down…” she whispered.

            A pained scream could be heard from Steven, who was still at Noel’s computer. Zinnia, as well as the rest in attendance, looked to see what the problem was. He turned to look at them all, face pale and eyes filled with resentment and confusion.

            “Why…do you have Latiasite data in your possession…?” his voice shook.

            She and Matt exchanged glances nervously.

            “And…meteorite data…?” he asked.

            Her eyes met Cosmo’s, who stepped back in shock. Zinnia looked to her, as if observing a show about to unfold.

            “Because, Steven…” she tied her hair into a ponytail.

            Steven’s eyes widened, the sight before him a familiar one. A female Aqua member in a ponytail standing side-by-side with a muscled man such as Matt. He nearly buckled over, a pained noise escaping his mouth. Guilt filling her eyes, she looked at the Professor, who slowly made his way away from her and towards Steven.

            “You stole my meteorite from me…my precious meteorite…” Cosmo shook his head and whispered. “Not only that, but you _shoved_ me in the process…”

            “Professor, I—”

            Steven stood, tears streaming down his cheeks.

            “You were the woman on Southern Island…”

            “Yes…I was…”

            Zinnia tucked the stone away, pity clouding her eyes as if she had done something wrong. Steven walked towards Noel and stood in front of her.

            “You’re a filthy criminal and a traitor.” he hissed.

            Steven slapped her across the face, leaving a red, stinging welt on her cheek. Matt grabbed Steven by the shoulders and pushed him backward down the stairs. She heard May gasp, the first sound out of her mouth that whole plethora of events. Noel raised her hand to her cheek and felt it, hotness rising from it and uncomfortably warming her hand.

            “Matt…” she whispered.

            “Yea, sis?” he asked.

            “Please…grab my backpack from my desk…and hit the red button under my keyboard…”

            He nodded and did what he told her, picking up her bag gently and flipping her keyboard over. He pressed a red button, a blue screen flashing on her monitor.

            “What did you do?!” Cosmo shouted.

            Noel was handed her bag, placing the straps over her shoulders.

            “Farewell, brief hope.” she muttered.

            Noel had wiped her hard drive of any information she formed or acquired during any of her time at the Space Center. All of her equations, wavelengths, and files were destroyed. Only Hyde held access to them, from the files he copied onto Aqua’s own drives. Cosmo and the others could never access her data again. Zinnia sighed. May had been watching, shaking this entire time. Whismur made little noises while making circles around its owner’s feet.

            “Well, Aster,” Zinnia looked to her pink pal. “I think it’s time to be off to merge this stone with the one at their base, huh?”

            Noel’s eyes widened. “What?”

            Zinnia turned and ran toward the door frame, Whismur being picked up and carried. Noel, without a second thought, sprinted after her.

“WAIT!”

She grabbed Zinnia’s cloak and attempted to make her fall down, but Zinnia was able to pull away. Both of them barreled down the stairs, careening past the Aqua Grunts below and out into the sun. Zinnia retrieved a Pokeball from her belt and threw it into the air, a Salamence exploding out of it and roaring. Zinnia jumped atop her dragon and flew off. Panting and wheezing, Noel reached for her Swellow’s ball, releasing it into the sun. As Swellow emerged from its ball, Matt and the other grunts came outside.

            “She’s headed for the base! She’s going to steal Archie’s Key Stone! All of you make your way back this instant!” she screamed, boarding Swellow.

            “YES MA’AM!” the grunts saluted.

            Swellow, with a powerful burst of air, flew into the air. Noel commanded it to go as fast as it possibly could, explaining the situation to it. Surely, her Swellow had to have matched the speed of Zinnia’s Salamence. There was no sign of the dragon, but Lilycove was approaching fast with the speed Swellow was going. The base was in sight, so she commanded Swellow to dive, to not bother landing. The two of them whizzed by beach-goers, sending sand into the air and making screams erupt from mouths left and right. They shot into the cavern, not needing to call the boatman. There were Grunts returning fainted Pokémon when they finally reached the entrance, Swellow being returned to its ball.

            “Where is she?!” she shouted.

            “Admin, the strange woman, she’s inside!” one of them answered.

            Noel sprinted forward, sending all of the energy of her body to her legs, forcing them to go as fast as possible. She needed to find Archie as soon as possible, and she knew that Zinnia had to have been at a disadvantage. The only way she could know the full layout of this place is if she had actually been a member. She sped past the lab, not stopping to check on Hyde. Zinnia had no quarrels with him, so he had to have been safe. She finally made her way to the warp panels, nearly out of breath. She dashed into Archie’s. When she entered his room, she found Zinnia approaching Archie very threateningly. He held his ground, fists curled and ready to fight. Not that he would actually beat up a woman, but he was prepared to defend himself and his Key Stone. It seemed he had already been defeated in battle, an aggressive expression across his face. Zinnia was smiling in a way that Noel was frightened of.

            “NO!” Noel screamed, running and leaping at Zinnia.

            Zinnia turned, her legs buckling beneath her from Noel grabbing them. Zinnia, with her hands, tried pushing Noel off of her. They rolled on the ground, Zinnia repeatedly shouting for Noel to let go.

            “Noel, what’s going on?!” he shouted.

            Noel was pushed off of her, allowing Zinnia to stand and actually run at Archie. Noel was able to grab her ankle in time, making her fall onto her chin painfully. With violent intent, Zinnia used her other foot to kick Noel in the face several times. Archie, growing angry from watching this, stepped forward to help, but Noel shouted at him to stay where he was. Growling, Zinnia kicked her away and into the table.

            “Noel!” Archie shouted.

            “That’s enough!” Zinnia shouted, wiping her mouth. “I’m usually not violent, but I’m being pushed to extremes!”

            Noel stood up and wiped her bleeding nose. She raced forward as Zinnia’s hand shot forward to nab Archie’s anchor, getting there in time to become a blockade. She defended Archie’s chest with her arms crossed in front of her. Zinnia let out a growl, stepping back.

            “You can’t take his Key Stone!” she shouted at her. “I won’t let you!”

            “Noel, I know you understand the consequences of the situation if I don’t take that Key Stone!”

            “Then take mine!” Noel looked her in the eyes and shouted.

            Archie, clearly confused, decided not to say anything about any of this. His eyes only widened at her response to the strange woman.

            “Noel…” she was taken aback.

            Noel fell to her knees and, crawling to Zinnia’s feet, begged.

            “Just don’t hurt him!” she grabbed her leg. “Zinnia, please…”

            Eyes clouded, Zinnia nodded and kneeled down, wrapping her in a hug. Whismur, who had been hidden this whole time, slowly waddled over to them.

            “Don’t cry honey…I’m sorry…don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt him…” Zinnia rubbed her back, nodding at her Whismur.

            “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but you let go of my—” his sentence was cut short. “HNG!”

            Whismur had used Pound on Archie’s neck, making him fall forward and onto the ground. It waddled away with his Key Stone. Hearing him fall, Noel turned and screamed.

            “WHAT DID YOU DO?!” she looked over him worriedly, shaking his arms and patting his back, tears streaming down her cheeks. “ARCHIE!”

            Feeling a pinch in her neck, a sudden relaxation flowed through her body. Her muscles felt warm and light. She fell forward and on top of Archie, his body making for a comfortable pillow.

            “Just go to sleep now…” she heard Zinnia’s voice, growing farther away.

            Her vision blackened.

 

            **Several Hours Later**

There was a voice on the edge of her consciousness that was trying to grip her out of her sleep.

            “Noel—Archie—wake up—oh Arceus—”

            Her eyes slowly opened, seeing the fabulous blue that was Archie’s wetsuit. She gripped it tightly, trying to remember how she had gotten here. There was movement below her, so she knew Archie was being woken up as well. Despite how warm she was, she needed to stand. This form of waking up was highly unpleasant. There was a kink in her neck, either from being put to sleep or just how she was sleeping on top of her boyfriend.

            “Noel? Archie?” she finally felt the shaking from the person’s hands.

            “Hyde…” she whispered, slowly rising, arms shaking.

            “Noel, don’t move!” he made her lie back down how she was.

            Her head lifted to turn and look at Archie’s, who was still planted face-first on the ground.

            “Archie…!” her eyes widened.

            “Scampo…” his voice mumbled into the floor. “Thank Arceus…”

            “The both of you, do you remember what happened before you were knocked out? I’m sure this may seem uncomfortable, but I need to massage your necks.” Hyde placed two fingers on the back of Noel’s neck first.

            “Zinnia…” she whispered.

            “That damn woman…I don’t know how she…” he slammed his fist on the floor.

            “Archie, don’t you listen? Don’t move.”

            She buried her face into Archie’s back. She felt tears brim on the edge of her eyelids, tears that couldn’t be held in for very long.

            “I’m sorry…I was too late…” she spoke into his back.

            Hyde only listened as he smoothed out the muscle lumps in the backs of their necks.

            “Noel…” Archie’s hand moved around, looking for hers. “Dammit, where’s your damn hand…”

            She smiled a little and grabbed his. She sniffed as she heard Hyde grumble under his breath about them not holding still.

            “My Key Stone…that Whismur took it…” Archie growled.

            “I’m sorry…” she sniffled. “I didn’t get here in time…” she squeezed his hand.

            Hyde sat her up. “You can both move now.”

            As soon as Archie sat up, he hugged her tightly.

            “Thanks for trying to come to my rescue…” he comforted her. “But what about you? Your face…” he looked it over.

            Her face had several black and blue bruises spanning it. Her cheek from Steven’s slap no longer stung, but her nose and right eye hurt immensely. Archie brushed her face with his hand, examining it with concern written all over his face.

            “Noel, Matt told me what happened in Mossdeep. You won’t be having further contact with Steven Stone or any of the like.” Hyde told her.

            The both of them stood up, looking around the room that Zinnia and Noel had wrecked with their fighting, just a table being turned over and some blood on the floor. With raised eyebrows, Archie looked at Hyde for an explanation. Noel swallowed, hand raising to her earring and feeling the stone that remained in her possession. Grinding her teeth, she lowered her head and closed her eyes.

            _Why didn’t she take mine instead…?_

            “Noel, what was all that? You trying to save my ass by kicking hers? Trying to sacrifice your Key Stone for mine?”

            Looking up at them again, she sighed and chose not to self loathe, not again.

            “What happened in Mossdeep?” trying not to sound impatient, he looked at both of them for the answer.

            “Zinnia, that woman, has the resolve to stop this asteroid, but by going at it in a different way. She’s collecting Key Stones to summon Rayquaza, the legendary Pokémon of the sky.” when they gasped, she swallowed again. “My research in Mossdeep matched what we already knew here. Steven and I…to put it briefly, we had a falling out. That’s when Matt stole the equipment, arrived in Mossdeep, and Zinnia showed up to foil everything. Zinnia stole Matt’s Key Stone and destroyed our equipment. Steven saw the research on my computer and revealed some things…from my missions here. He slapped me and—”

            “HE WHAT?” Archie exploded.

            Hyde touched his elbow. “Hold.”

            “I wiped my hard drive at the Space Center. The only ones with the know how to finish this their way is us, but their way isn’t the correct one. It involves the death of another planet’s worth of people and I can’t do that. I can’t.”

            “I understand…” Archie lowered his head. “You aren’t capable of something like that.”

            “I won’t be going back to Mossdeep. If any of them try to contact me, decline their calls. In the meantime, I need to figure out what to do next…”

            Taking her by the shoulders, Archie looked down into her face. “Noel, your work is done. There’s nothing else for you to do, right? That woman has what she wants, doesn’t she? You don’t have to be involved anymore, you don’t have to be hurt anymore.”

            As if Arceus granted the timing itself, the warp panel made a noise. Hyde turned around to see who it was, Noel seeing them before Archie did, who turned around quickly.

            “Excuse me…I don’t mean to intrude…but I’m here to speak with Noel.”

            May stood there with her fists clenched and eyes narrowed, seeming to be prepared for something big. Archie smirked, Hyde stepping aside.

            “Well, if it isn’t the kiddo. You’re a little late to the party this time if you were lookin’ to stop us or something.”

            “I’m here peacefully. I watched Noel fly off in a panic screaming about your Key Stone, and when I didn’t see her come back I got worried. May I speak to her privately?”

            Straightening her stature, she nodded and took her by the shoulder, calmly walking her away from them. “We can speak in my room. Hyde, thank you for assisting us. Archie, I’ll let you handle Matt and anybody else stirred up about the situation. Whatever this is about, I can handle it alone. We can talk later.”

            Archie wanted to protest, but he knew there was no use.

            “Thank you, Noel.” May smiled.

            Stepping through the warp panels, they made their way to Noel’s room, untouched since the morning she went to Mossdeep. May looked around but didn’t say anything.

            “I want to apologize for my behavior at the Space Center. I don’t need to explain my innocence, or my guilt, to you, because frankly, it doesn’t matter anymore. Why are you here?” she pulled out a chair at the table for May, taking a seat herself.

            “It’s about the asteroid. Zinnia came back to talk to me and...we need your help.” May sat down,

            “Why my help? She stole Archie’s Key Stone, she should know how I feel right now.”

            “It isn’t her asking for the help, it’s me.” May’s eyes grew large and scared. “We’re talking an asteroid that can destroy the planet, and the only way to stop it is summoning a giant green snake with Hyper Beam.”

            Swallowing, Noel kept her composure. “You’re afraid.”

            “I’m terrified!” May admitted. “But I know you…you’ve dealt with this kind of thing before, right? With Kyogre I mean…”

            _Even though you defeated it in its primal form? Unless…you’re afraid of the unknown without a team backing you up._

            “You want me to piggyback with you because I almost died once?”

            “I want you to piggyback with me because I saw what legendaries can do. When I went down into Origin Cave to save you and defeat Primal Kyogre, I had guidance. I had a goal, and I was confident. Then I saw your damaged and crippled body, torn apart by the raw power Kyogre was using on you…”she apologized when Noel cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable. “I don’t want that to happen to me…” she started to tear up. “Zinnia said she wouldn’t let anything happen to me when I helped her, but I don’t know…I don’t know if I trust her enough…”

            Heavy hearted, Noel patted May’s hand to make her feel better. “What does Zinnia have in mind?”

            “Zinnia’s headed for the Sky Pillar, right along the route near Pacificdlog Town. Steven advised me, as usual, to go and ‘stop’ Zinnia, but I want to help her. This is the only way. She wants to summon Rayquaza there, and we need Wallace in order to get in. Zinnia said she’ll meet me there, that she’ll wait for me… I know she wants you there too.”

            “If I go, I’m not talking with Steven, if he’s somehow involved. Zinnia needs to apologize as well. If Wallace leads us into the pillar, I feel he’ll be happy to see us. May, this is dangerous. Probably even more dangerous than before…”

            Holding her hand and gripping it tightly, May looked at Noel hopefully. “We’re the only hope for Hoenn, for the world. You’re stronger than Steven, maybe even stronger than me. We need your help. Please, Noel.”

            Standing, Noel sighed, resolution clear. “We have four days left. If Zinnia fails, we’re all doomed.”


	12. Undoing Seals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zinnia has headed for the Sky Pillar, successfully taking Archie's Keystone. May has enlisted Noel for help, to the slight dismay of her boyfriend. However, she and May head off on a new mission, once again having the fate of the world in their hands. Noel faces newborn positivity, along with a battle against a very mysterious man. However, will Noel be able to keep her dark memories sealed as they approach their goal? And more importantly, will they make it to Rayquaza in time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Candace from Phineas and Ferb breaks the door down* MOM HOLY FUCK, A RECENT CHAPTER OF AQUA AFFINITY WAS RELEASED AFTER OVER A YEAR

May sat at the table, waiting patiently for Noel to pack yet another bag. A cold sweat was beginning to form all over her body. The plan she was banking on was Zinnia’s, and what exactly was that plan? To gather as many Key Stones as possible to actually summon Rayquaza? Assuming that Zinnia’s last one was Archie’s, which made her want to vomit, then that meant all of the stones were in their hands. As she packed some spare wetsuits into her backpack, a thought rushed by. Archie was gonna kill her when he found out what she was doing.

            “Noel?” May spoke up shyly.

            “Yes?”

            I’m sorry to drag you into another conversation about this, but…” she gulped. “What was it like…? Being controlled by a Legendary Pokemon?”

            A chill raced through Noel’s body, blood running cold. The memories, or what fragments she held of it, still haunted the back of her mind. Her coping was getting better, and the triggers occurring more randomly, but the thoughts still nested. They were probably never going to go away.

            “It’s excruciating, May.” Noel answered, struggling to make sure her voice didn’t shake. “You’re not aware of anything that’s going on. There was…this cold power that just…ripped me apart. I was in this sort of Limbo where I would go in and out of awareness. I had strength from this raw power, but it was used to harm others. In any circumstance that I could have been aware, all I could think about was Archie. Archie…Krys…my father…” she held a wetsuit close to her chest, as if hanging onto it for comfort. “You saw me, May…what did it look like to you…?”

            May didn’t respond and just looked at the floor.

            “But May, you won’t get hurt.” Her tone lifted.

            “What?”

            “You aren’t broken like I was. I was lost and confused, I was disgustingly crippled by self-hatred and blinded by depression, unaware of what was right anymore. I was the perfect target. You have so much to live for. You’ll be fine.”

            May’s face brightened, a smile forming on her usually extreme face.

            “Besides, you’re sixteen. You’ve got more fight in ya’ than this old coot.” She smiled, finishing her packing.

            Setting her backpack aside, she checked her Pokemon to make sure they weren’t afraid or freaking out. They were perfectly calm inside their balls.

            “May, what time is it?”

            May looked at her Nav. “Uhh, 8:34. Why?”

            “Holy shit…” her eyes widened. “How long was I out?”

            “That’s why I was worried when you didn’t come back, so I just came here. I’m glad you’re okay.”

             _We can’t make the trek to the Sky Pillar at night. It would be too dangerous. If we sleep now, we can leave in the morning. We would be losing half of a day, but we need rest. Especially May._

“I suggest we sleep for the night and leave in the morning. Does that sound alright to you?” Noel suggested.

            “You took the words right out of my mouth.” May dialed Steven’s number. “I’ll make sure they know the plan…to an extent. At least for Wallace to let us in.”

            “Don’t mention me, please…”

            “Lips are sealed—Hi Steven!” May smiled wide, but there was a falter in it. “I’m just calling to let you know that I’m making the trek to Sky Pillar tomorrow morning, does Wallace know?”

             _“He does now. Thank you for calling.”_

“Are you okay? I mean, you sound like shit.”

             _“Just stop this woman from summoning that monster. The professor and I are scanning Noel’s computer, the bitch wiped everything from it. There’s nothing here!”_ he seemed to slam his fist onto something.  _“What are you all looking at?! There’s got to be something left!”_

Noel left the table-area in order to get some space from…that. There was a dull headache in her temples, but it was probably going to subside soon. All she had to do was massage them and hum to herself, then the memories would not resurface. It was okay.

            “I’m sorry you had to hear that…” May sounded frail.

            “Don’t worry about it.” She peeked at May, who was staring at the table, contemplating. “Do you have somewhere to stay until tomorrow?”

            “I uh…I was just gonna get a room at an inn. I’ll be okay.” She started to stand.

            “Nuh uh, siddown, you’re staying here tonight.” Noel ordered.

            “What?” May blinked.

            “You heard me! I’ll just sleep in Archie’s bed tonight, my bed is all yours. Just don’t touch any of my stuff and I won’t kill you. Understand?”

            “I couldn’t possibly—”

            “Enough, accept my offer or I won’t help you at all.” She placed her hands on her hips like a weird mom, raising one eyebrow.

            “…Fine.” She hid a smile.

             _Archie’s gonna kill me._

May unpacked some clothes from her bag, Noel taking her own backpack and making her way toward the warp panel. She turned around as May shyly maneuvered the blankets.

            “I’ll see you in the morning.”

            “R-right!”

            Noel stepped through the warp panel, backpack strap in hand.

            “Wait, who the hell is Wallace again?” she asked herself silently.

            Despite the hour, grunts were still walking about the base, only more casual than normal. Her heart hurt, having to explain to Archie that she was putting herself in peril again. All she was going to do was go in order to protect May and help stop the asteroid. If anything dangerous were to happen, she would get May and herself out of there ASAP, even if it meant leaving Zinnia behind.

            “He’s going to be so upset…” she whispered.

            “Hey! Scampo!” his familiar voice hollered.

            Looking up and down the hallway, Archie stood with his hands on his hips. He was smiling. Noel waved as he made his way straight for her.

             _He’s gonna kill me, he’s gonna kill me, he’s gonna kill me, he’s gonna kill me._

“What’s up with the backpack?” he asked.

            “YOU’RE GONNA KILL ME.” She blurted out.

            “Oh Arceus, what did you do?” he facepalmed and shook his head.

            “Can we at least go to your room to talk about this?” she whispered nervously.

            “Is this an innuendo?” he smirked. When he didn’t get a smirk back, he panicked. “Did you break a bone? Did your underwear shrink in the wash?!” he gripped his hair in horror. “ARE YOU PREGNANT?!”

            “Would you keep it the fuck down?!” she whisper-yelled, face turning redder than a Corphish. “I just need to talk to you about something important!”

            He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder, patted her butt, and walked through the warp panel into his room. She didn’t resist, she merely sighed and let him do what he had to. When she was set back down, she tossed her backpack to the side and crossed her arms.

            “Noel, what is this about? What did May say?”

            Her brows furrowed, and she hesitated when opening her mouth.

            “You’re going with them, aren’t you?” he sounded defeated, eyes looking sad.

            “Archie, I—”

            “Noel, this is another Legendary Pokémon! Another one! I’m sorry, I really am, but don’t you remember what happened last time?” the raising of his voice was alarming. “Noel, I almost lost you! Not just me, but Hyde, Matt, Shelly, all of the grunts, we ALL almost lost you!”

            Her head lowered and tears began to brim in her eyelids.

            “What would we all do without you? You’re one of the leaders of Team Aqua! You’re my girlfriend! You’re Hyde’s closest thing to a daughter that he’ll ever have again in his life! Without you, we’ll all be lost!” when he didn’t receive an answer, he frowned even more. “Think of your Pokémon!”

            His words hitting her hard, she grabbed her arms and raised her shoulders, as if trying to hide from him.

            “If you think I’m going to let you risk your life AGAIN…I just can’t handle that!” his voice began to shake.

            “And if you think I’ll let you all die when I could have done something, then I can’t handle that either.” She sniffled. “I’m sorry that I’ve put you all through so much. It’s my fault that I’ve made you suffer. I’ve made you all cry and worry about me. And how many times have I almost died and you’ve been the one to have to stay awake worrying about me and caring to my needs?” tears ran down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Archie…”

            “Noel, no—”

            “But this is why I need to go.” She looked up at him. “As a representative of Team Aqua, I vow to help May and Zinnia stop this asteroid. I refuse to stand by and watch, cower in fear of the possibility that they don’t get it right. I’m not that kind of woman.” She wiped her face. “I WILL protect May and Zinnia, and I will guide them down the right path. If anything were to get in our way, I will make sure we are all cautious. And when I finally do see that bitch’s face, I will not hesitate when taking back your Key Stone, because dammit, a hole in your anchor is a hole in my heart.” Her eyes burned with a new fire. “Rayquaza will be summoned, and we will have to make him obey us, somehow, in order for this asteroid to be eliminated. Goddammit, I will see through with this. I will stand up for myself and scream at this Legendary beast with all of the confidence that Aqua has pounded within me! I refuse to be taken over by another piece of shit monster, and I will make sure it knows that. And my Arceus, Archie, I will return to you in one piece, and I will make sure this world is safe before I even think of coming home!” her voice rose and her eyes closed. “I PROMISE I’LL COME BACK TO YOU IN ONE PIECE, AND THERE WILL BE NEW RESPECT UPON THE NAME OF TEAM AQUA!”

            After a few moments of silence, Archie slowly began to laugh. Noel opened one eye, afraid he was going to be angry, and saw him wiping a tear from his eye, a smile spreading across his face. She realized that she was panting from her speech, and she took a few deep breaths to settle down. He picked her up suddenly and gave her a bear hug.

            “I knew there was still some spark in you!” he shouted. “This is why I love you!”

            “What’s so funny…?” she asked.

            “I never should have underestimated your confidence. I need to stop being such a selfish man.” He patted the back of her head. “I never should have thought of trying to argue with you!”

            “Archie…”

            “I’m wicked afraid for your safety Noel, but that’s just me being overprotective. In the middle of your speech, I realized I had been turning into Steven.”

            Her eyes widened.

            “I don’t want to hold you back. My job is to let you propel yourself forward, like a good boyfriend. Noel, you better believe me,” he squeezed her and spun around, “when I say that I’m behind you the whole way!”

            Starting to laugh and holding onto him so she wouldn’t fly away, she was relieved.

            “If you say you’re gonna be careful, then I believe you.” He stopped and genuinely held her. “I know you won’t let yourself be taken over.”

            “Thank you Archie.” She smiled.

            He carried her to the bed and tossed her on top, her laughing when she hit the mattress on her back. Archie belly flopped the mattress, which sent her flying up again. They laughed like children until the mattress stopped giving them bounce-like activities. When they finally settled down, she felt Archie roll onto his back too, both of their feet just dangling over the side of the bed.

            “May and I leave in the morning for The Sky Pillar.”

            He nodded and smiled at the ceiling. “Just think…when this is all over, everything will go back to normal. We can have fun on missions again, maybe reenact that cool Salamence trick you did…” he chuckled. “We’ll all be a team again.”

            “Yes sir.” She winked.

            “Hey, quit it.”

 

             **The Next Morning**

At the ass-crack of dawn, AKA 6:00, Noel was wide awake with Archie, who was grumbling about being awake so early. His bed-head was quite noticeable, and his attitude was there to match. However, Noel was perky as she possibly could be, eyes bright and body refreshed. As they stood at the foot of the warp panel, Archie yawned and leaned on her, which scared her for a minute.

            “Just five more minutes, Noel…” he yawned.

            “Archie, who’s the adult here?” she smiled.

            “Both of us.”

            Rolling her eyes, she kissed his nose, waking him up, and walked into the warp panel. As they both emerged, May was waiting. Archie cleared his throat and looked suddenly more official.

            “Morning, kiddo. You ready to take on a giant green thing?”

            “I guess so.” May shrugged.

            “Noel will take good care of ya. Don’t be afraid when she’s around. She may seem like a scared scamp, but she’ll kick your ass before you get that assumption across your mind.”

            “Remind me to kick  _your_ ass later.” She elbowed him.

            “Ready to go, Noel?” May asked, looking at her watch.

            “Yes. Just one second.” She turned and took Archie’s hands, looking up at him. “Hold the fort, captain. The next time you see us, I’ll have your Key Stone back and we can get back to business as usual.” Giving him a hug, she breathed in. “I’ll come back so we can watch the meteor shower together…”

            Squeezing her tighter, he nodded. “I’ll hold you to that. And if you don’t come back, I’ll kick your dead ass out of the afterlife and bring you right back to me. Understand?”

            “Don’t go losing an arm and a leg. Got it?” They let go of each other.

            “Got it.” He smiled. “I love you.

            “I love you too.” She turned and looked at May, who had been waiting. “Let’s go.”

 

 

 

             **Outside, 3 Days Remaining**

They both had made it outside the base, the early morning of Lilycove greeting them as they squinted up at the pink sky. Wingull flew overhead, squawking at each other and gliding into the distance. May sighed.

            “Is something wrong? You look upset…too early for you?”

            May hiked up her backpack on her shoulders. “You and Archie are too cute.”

            Noel blushed. “What? No! Stop that.” She turned around.

            “I wish somebody loved me that way.” She crossed her arms and started walking through the sand. “Steven doesn’t even give me a second glance…”

            Such a statement made Noel’s head turn. “Honey, Steven is not the right kind of guy for you.” She followed her through the sand. “You see how he gets.”

            “Your face proves it…” she spoke sadly.

            Noel touched her cheek and found that it hurt a slight bit, either from Steven’s slap or from Zinnia’s warfare the previous day.

            “I’m sorry you had to see that.” She sighed, reaching pavement. “But it’s okay, I’m sure there’s another cool guy who’d wanna take you out any day. Don’t lose hope.”

            Noel released Salamence, who seemed to glare at May. May stared at the dragon, appalled at how large it actually was. Noel hopped onto Salamence’s back and looked back at her.

            “Well? Hop on then.”

            “I don’t think he likes me.” May said.

            “Nonsense!” Noel scratched her dragon’s head. “He looooooves you, right Salamence? Who’s a good dragon?” she used pet-talk with it so casually, it almost disturbed her teenage companion.

            Salamence chortled in reply, nodding at May to hop on its back. Noel noticed a sigh of relief escape her young friend, who now took a seat behind her.

            “Hold on tight, okay? We’re going to hit some early morning turbulence when we start going over Pacificdlog town, so just grip my torso as hard as you can if you get scared. You’re going to be my navigator, so let me know if you notice we get to Route 131.”

            “Yes ma’am.” May wrapped her arms around Noel’s stomach.

            “Okay Salamence, let’s go!”

            With a nod, Salamence flapped its strong wings as they slowly took to the air. Noel noticed a little giggle come from her passenger as they gained altitude, noticing her head peek around to look at how Noel controlled her Pokemon. Noel urged her partner forward, and they flew off in the direction, as their PokeNavs told them, of Pacificdlog Town. The flight was smooth, and they could see early morning swimmers trek the waves of the ocean.

            “So Wallace knows we’re coming?” she asked.

            “Well, he knows  _I’m_ coming.” She clarified. “And I assume he knows Zinnia is on her way. We were looking into some Draconid lore, and it turns out Wallace knows a thing or two about this, because he and his family have been natives of Sootopolis for years and has ties to the Draconid people. I know this might not make sense to you, but I figured you would want to be clued in.”

            “You figured correctly.” She noticed the wind start to pick up a bit. “Salamence, raise altitude to get above the pocket.”

            Her dragon complied. May tightened her grip a bit.

            “Also, Salamence, if you get tired, let us know so we can land. I don’t want to wipe you out. This might take a few hours, but hopefully less.” She turned to look at May. “If you need a break, let me know as well. Being airborne can sometimes do things to you.”

            “Right.” She crinkled her brows, but Noel didn’t see it.

           

            After a long time of being in the air, the trees of the mainland began to disappear, which meant they were back over water; and there was a LOT of it. Noel hadn’t been this far south in years, since her journey back in the day, and a lot had changed. She told her Pokemon to speed up, and it nodded, dipping down a bit. May held on tightly for those few, sped up moments. She heard her gasp and Noel turned her head in surprise.

            “There! To our left! What’s that huge expanse of clouds?!”

            Noel looked off in the distance to see a pillar of clouds surrounding, what appeared to be, a tower. Noel’s jaw dropped in awe, and Salamence took the opportunity to look as well. It just shrugged and kept flying.

            “Let’s stock up at Pacificdlog. We know where we need to go now.” Noel told them.

            “Yea…” May tightened her grip again.

             _This is starting to become a bit too real._ She took a deep breath.

            Finally, the floating town they were headed for appeared on the water, Salamence taking a dive for it. May held on for dear live as Salamence increased its speed, making her hair fly back and forcing her to dig her nose into Noel’s back.

            “NOEL, I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” she shouted.

            “YES, I’D LOVE SOME FRIES!” Noel responded.

            Maniacal laughter on Noel’s end encouraged Salamence to continue its dive. When they neared the surface of the water, it straightened out and raced just above the surface. May straightened up, excited that they were so close to the water. She let out a laugh.

            “We’re almost there!” Noel smiled.

            After a good amount of laughter on all sides, some splashing, and the abrupt flapping of wings, Salamence led its trainer and friend onto the floating planks of the town. Noel got off first, then assisting May down. The members of the town gathered around anxiously, muttering about the appearance of a dragon-type and two trainers, and why they looked so…energetic. Noel returned Salamence to its ball, turning to May afterward, who was looking at a map on her Nav.

            “According to the Nav,” she spoke aloud. “We need to head east on Route 131, then north in a rocky ocean pass to reach the Sky Pillar.”

            A crowd was beginning to gather around them, but they didn’t notice.

            “Great!” Noel placed her hands on her hips. “We can stop at the Pokemon Center and the Mart, we can stock up for the pillar. I have a feeling we’ll need more supplies.”

            “Deal!” May nodded.

            They both turned around to head in the direction of the Pokemon Center, and they faced the huge crowd that was staring them down, cameras out and muttering.

            “Oh. Good.” Noel sighed.

             _They’re probably going to ask why a member of Team Aqua is here. And why I’M here of all people. They probably think I’m kidnapping May or something._

“Wow, it’s TWO of the Pokemon League Champions!” a child shouted.

            “Is that Noel Wilson?!” a girl tried shoving through the crowd. “Move, I need her picture!”

            “What the…?” Noel whispered, eyes wide in surprise.

            She didn’t see it, but May smiled in her direction.

            “Noel!” a woman her age got her attention. “I’m sorry, I know you get this question a lot, but can you autograph this picture?”

            A picture of Noel celebrating at her Pokemon League win, along with a pen, was shoved in her direction. In the picture, she  was on her feet, waving at the crowd and smiling. She looked genuinely happy, her Swampert next to her. The woman in front of her was smiling, a nervous sweat forming on her face. This must have been terrifying for her, to come up to…a celebrity.

            “I’d love to.” The words came out of her mouth before she knew she had thought them.

            The woman tried, and failed, to hide her excitement as Noel took the picture and pen. She signed it toward the bottom right corner.

             _Never give up. You’re strong and can do anything, no matter the obstacle. ~Noel Wilson_

“Here you go…I hope this isn’t too corny—”

            The woman squealed and hugged her briefly before running off. Noel tried to look to May for guidance, but she was in the same exact position. She looked fairly used to the attention. Realizing she needed to be the adult here, she cleared her throat and stood up straight.

            “Excuse me!” she raised her voice. “I thank you for welcoming us so warmly to your town, but I must inform you that we are here on official business! We are on a tight schedule, so I would appreciate it if you let us get on with our work!”

            The crowd nodded collectively, finishing their business with May, but loitering a bit to watch them. May looked thankful as they headed for the Pokemon Center.

            “So?” May asked.

            “What?” Noel didn’t look at her.

            “What do you think of being asked for autographs?”

            “I…” she turned red. “It’s nice…to not be labeled negatively for once.”

            May smiled up at her, happy that Noel was being given positive attention.

            They entered the Pokemon Center, thankful that the crowd didn’t follow them in and that a new one hadn’t formed inside. Nurse Joy greeted them with a smile.

            “Good morning and welcome to the Pokemon Center! How can I help you?”

            “Hi, I was wondering if you could refresh my Pokemon? They’re a bit tuckered out from the travel here.” Noel placed her Pokeballs in a tray laid out for her.

            “Of course! It will take about 30 minutes, so if you left and came back, that would be fine!” Joy nodded.

            “Thank you so much, you’re a life-saver. We’re going to go to the Mart and come back. Thank you so much.”

            They turned and left, making their way to the Mart that was farther down the floating planks. May looked up at her in awe.

            “How do you do that?”

            “Do what?” Noel asked, focused on not falling into the water.

            “Talk to people so…professionally. Like how you addressed the crowd, and talking to Nurse Joy, and even stuff like back at the Space Center in Mossdeep. You’re just so…smooth.”

            Noel burst into laughter. “SMOOTH. THAT’S A NEW ONE. Oh man.” She wiped a fake tear from her eye. “I’m gonna have to tell Archie that one. He’ll get a kick out of it.”

            Her pace suddenly picked up, as if she suddenly remembered that she wouldn’t be able to tell Archie  _shit_ if they didn’t get to the Sky Pillar. May, startled by the mood change, caught up with her.

            “I know you hear this a lot,” Noel started as they walked through the sliding doors of the Mart, “but you’ll know when you’re older.” She picked up a shopping basket. “As more experiences shape you, you learn how to adapt. You learn to be an actual adult, one with responsibilities; like a job, like relationships, and like being a great Trainer.” She picked up potions after examining the prices, May listening to her as she did the same. “You’re well on your way to being a great, or  _smooth_ , person. It takes time. And talking to people? That’s hard. But sometimes words just fly out, and suddenly you know what you’re talking about. I addressed the crowd because we’re on a timetable. Nurse Joy is just another person, here to help. And the Space Center? That was my job once. I talk to the Grunts the same way.” She stifled a smile. “It all comes with experience.”

            May’s eyes twinkled as she absorbed Noel’s words. Noel hissed at the price of Pokemon food.

             _“Fuckin’ thieves.”_ She glared at the product.

            The twinkling in Mays eyes vanished. Noel fished through her backpack and located her cash, where she hissed another slew of curse words.

             _“It’s not like Archie pays me or anything. At least I have some money from Mossdeep still, but Arceus fuck, I didn’t realize the deluge would affect the prices of their food. Yikes.”_

May quietly sidestepped over to the counter to pay for her supplies, the clerk looking at Noel nervously.

            “Is she okay?” the clerk whispered.

            “Yea.”

 

**Route 131**

May was atop her Walrein, Noel riding Swampert in near vicinity in front of her. They had been surfing for a good fifteen minutes, and neither of them had spoken much of a word. Noel had gotten over the Mart fiasco, risking her wallet for the love of her Pokemon. Her backpack was strapped tightly around her, so it wouldn’t drift away in the water. May’s was the same, except she looked away from Noel and down at the current.

            “It’s becoming a little more real, isn’t it?” Noel broke the silence.

            May looked up, surprised.

            “I remember when Archie and I were in the submarine, headed to the underwater cavern. We were so close to reaching our goal, it almost didn’t feel real.” She felt Swampert shift, as if it were worried about her. She scratched its head. “The excitement felt like a constant vibration inside of me, like I had too much caffeine and I couldn’t contain my adrenaline. I didn’t know how big the whole thing was going to be.”

            She couldn’t tell if she were just making May uncomfortable or not, so she stopped for a little bit and let the silence continue. Swampert bobbed with the gentle waves around the rocks, the tall brown tower looming in the distance. It was getting closer with every minute, returning Noel to that adrenaline-run state.

            “But you should have a sense how big this is, considering you’ve dealt with it before.” Noel concluded.

            May’s Walrein swam up next to Swampert, giving her a friendly smile in the process. Noel smiled back, remembering all it had done for her when she needed help. As they continued to surf, more rocks surrounded them, the current drifting them in the direction of the tower. The current was also growing more aggressive, Swampert grunting several times in order to adjust. Walrein was growling as well, nearly being pushed into rocks by the waves. A sandbar was in the distance, at the base of the impending Sky Pillar.

            “We’re so close Swampert, just keep going!” she enthused.

            “GRUH.”

            As they broke free of the current, a semicircle of rocks surrounded them, along with the sandbar ahead. The water was calmer, as if they had broken into a new dimension. At the entrance to the Sky Pillar, there was a man with his back to them. Something about him looked familiar, calming in a way. Walrein sped up and met sand first, May sliding off and walking onto the bar, returning her Pokemon.

            “Wallace!” she greeted.

            Swampert met sand, Noel joining her young friend on the bar as well.

            “Thank you Swampert.” She retrieved its Pokeball. “Return.”

            “Ah, May, I see you came.” The man named Wallace spoke behind her. “And I see…you’ve brought some help?”

            Noel turned around when she heard her presence being recognized, and she was met with a very familiar face. It came back in a flash, but she recognized him. He had been there when she was rescued from the Cave of Origin, smiling down at her like a second sun. His face was the same here as it was then; content. His posture also radiated openness, his back straight and his arms at his sides.

            “You’re Wallace.” Noel breathed. “I’m sorry, let me introduce myself.” She stuck her hand out to shake his, stepping towards him in the process. “My name is—”

            “Noel Wilson.” He continued to smile at her. “It’s a pleasure to speak with you, face-to-face.” He shook her hand firmly, but gently. “I’m happy to see you have recovered since the last time I saw you.”

            “Ah, yes,” she turned red. “You…already know who I am…”

            “Only because your significant other gushed about you so much the day of the deluge. He truly showed his commitment for you, I was very impressed.”

            She turned redder and pulled her hand away. “ _Ahahaha…”_

He turned to May. “I have undone the seal on the Sky Pillar. If you follow the path behind me,” he gestured to a cavern that led to the pillar, “you will reach your destination in time.”

            May looked at Noel with twinkling eyes, smiling as if they had succeeded. She nodded back at her, but their smiles vanished when Wallace cleared his throat.

            “However…” he placed a hand on his hip. “In order to get beyond this point…there is one more trial you must overcome.”

            Noel began to sweat. They had two-and-a-half days left. They didn’t have time for more trials.

            “This is my duty as part of the ancient Sootopolians, a duty passed on from my former master.” His face didn’t change at all. “You must battle me. Here and now.”

             _I knew it._ She looked at May, who looked more than prepared.  _He didn’t meet us all the way out here for nothing. It’s a good thing we stocked up on supplies._

“Noel.” He interrupted her thoughts. “Are you ready?”

            “What?” she asked, appalled. “Me? Not May?”

            He chuckled, walking to one end of the sand bar. “I want to see what that man from Team Aqua values so much from you. Let me see what makes you tick, Miss Wilson.”

            Taking that as a challenge, she smirked and walked to the other end of the sand bar, leaving May in the middle to referee. She was somehow okay with this challenge. It felt like there was a roaring fire burning in the pit of her stomach. She placed her hand on her first Pokeball, Wallace doing the same.

            “Show me that you have the power to face what lies ahead!” his eyes sheened in determination.

            May signaled for the battle to begin, and Wallace chucked his first ball into the ocean, a Wailord popping out and erupting into the water with a crash. Noel shielded her eyes from the water sprays, trying to think on the fly. She chucked her first ball into the air, Ludicolo popping out and dancing around. When it saw the Wailord in front of it, it stepped back in shock.

             _Ludicolo is part Grass-Type, and it knows Energy Ball. I might be able to deflect Wailord’s water attacks with my own, but it’ll be a tough call._

“Ludicolo, let’s start with an Energy Ball!” Noel commanded.

            Her Pokemon gathered its hands together, creating a green orb of energy. Wailord looked to combat with something, but because of its size, she didn’t know what to look for. Ludicolo released the Energy Ball, but a spout of water erupted from its blowhole, blocking her attack. Ludicolo leapt out of the way to evade the stream.

             _Okay, so he had it retain Water Spout. Good call on his part._

“Okay honey, we’re gonna have to get in close!” she ordered, her Pokemon nodding in response.

            Ludicolo dashed forward, dodging another Water Spout as it blasted its direction. Ludicolo let loose another Energy Ball, it making contact this time. However, Wailord had other plans.

            “Heavy Slam.” Wallace commanded.

            Wailord charged into the sand bar, nearly taking Ludicolo out where it stood. It took a fair bit of damage, but Ludicolo got its hand to touch the hulking body of whale.

            “Giga Drain!” Noel shouted.

            Wailord roared as Ludicolo sapped it of its health, recovering from whatever damage the Heavy Slam had caused. Because of the grass-type nature of the last two contacts, Wailord was looking a little beat up. However, that was the problem. Wailord was so huge, it would take several more hits to possibly get it to faint. Ludicolo jumped back and immediately duked out another Energy Ball, this one once again being pushed away by a Water Spout.

            “Keep going until we find another opening!” Noel shouted.

            Ludicolo was evading all sorts of spouts, dancing around and trying to make a hit with another Energy Ball. Wailord slammed into the sandbar again.

            “Earthquake.” Wallace ordered.

             _What?! This thing knows Earthquake?!_

The ground began to shake wildly, Ludicolo losing its balance and falling.

             _At this rate, Ludicolo is going to get tired and faint. I need to think of something, we don’t have time for this!_

She remembered what happened at the Pokemon League with her battle against Steven.

            “Ludicolo!” she screamed. “HYDRO PUMP, AT THE GROUND!”

            Shakily, with the ground still quaking, Ludicolo stood and blasted a stream of water toward the ground, making it go  _very_ airborne. Wallace looked up with a smirk.

            “Water Spout.”

            “Focus Blast!”

            As a powerful spout of water erupted from Wailord’s blowhole, a powerful sphere of energy erupted from the airborne Ludicolo. The two blasts collided in mid-air, seemingly at a stalemate. Just as they thought it would remain that way, however, the Focus Blast pushed through the Water Spout, eventually making contact with Wailord. Ludicolo plopped back onto the ground, breathing heavily. Wailord sunk a bit in the water, fainted.

            “That was close.” She patted Ludicolo on the back when it waddled over to her. “Great job, Ludicolo.” She took its ball out, ready to switch out.

            Wallace returned his Wailord without a word, immediately tossing another ball into the water, a Tentacruel popping out.

            “Return, Ludicolo.” She placed a hand on another ball. “Metagross!”

            Her beautiful, shiny Metagross popped out, growling when it saw it was in sand. Noel winced a bit when she saw her Pokemon’s discomfort, but she reassured it by telling it that they had a great chance at getting through this fight. Metagross nodded, hulking forward. Wallace looked slightly uncomfortable, as he should have been.

            “Psychic!” Noel commanded.

            With a mighty roar, Metagross’s eyes began to glow with a pink light, its psychic power having a hefty effect on the Poison-type that lurked in the water ahead of them. The advantage of Wallace having strictly water-based Pokemon, Noel thought, was that they couldn’t be mobile in a location like this. With them being surrounded by rocks, a huge sandbar, a tower, and very little wiggle room in water, this battle would hopefully be over soon. Tentacruel was still afloat, somehow. A nest of clouds began forming above them, rain slowly falling.

            “Rain Dance.” She breathed. “Wallace is just setting up for the rest of his team.”

            Metagross was able to finish Tentacruel with another Psychic attack, Wallace returning it to its ball with a sigh. His sigh was audible, but not annoyed. He was having fun.

            “Go, Ludicolo.” He tossed a ball into the sand calmly, his own dancing Pokemon popping out.

            She giggled and returned Metagross. It was always a little strange to battle a Pokemon she already befriended herself. Throwing another ball upward, her swift Swellow exploded from it with a loud cawing. Flapping its powerful wings, its eyes met Noel’s with fiery determination. The rain began to fall a bit more steadily, and Wallace’s Ludicolo sprinted forward alarmingly fast.

             _Its ability is Swift Swim?!_

Ludicolo landed a Fake Out attack on Swellow, catching it off guard.

            “Quick, Swellow! Aerial Ace!” she shouted.

            “Ice Beam.” Wallace’s eye twinkled.

            Ludicolo hopped back a pace and put its hands together, creating a base for the attack. Swellow was still shaking off the Fake Out, not yet able to fly as quickly as it needed to. When Noel cried out one more time, it snapped out of its trance, dodging the Ice Beam’s full brunt. Despite that, it took slight impact in the right wing, slowing it down considerably. Noel scratched her head with her hand nervously. Without one wing at full potential, Swellow was only at half of its impressive speed compared to Ludicolo’s Swift Swim ability. However, it remained airborne, determined to land at least one hit until its inevitable defeat. Ludicolo sprinted forward again.

            “AERIAL ACE, HURRY!”

            This time, Swellow was fast enough to land a hit on its opponent, blocking another Fake Out. It seemed as if Wallace was going to repeatedly use Fake Out, followed by an Ice Beam while Swellow recovered. It wasn’t a bad strategy, especially in this situation. Ludicolo staggered backward, clearly effected by the hit it just took. Swellow was struggling to bat its right wing, the frustration showing on its face.

             _If Swellow keeps going on like this, it won’t be long until it’s forced to land. We’ll be toast when that happens. He’s going to use every second of his time to take a chance at it landing._

When Ludicolo leapt forward again, Noel clenched her fists.

             _We can’t give him that chance!_

“Swellow, use Whirlwind! Immediately follow up with an Air Slash!”

            With a powerful gust of wind, Ludicolo flew backward into the sand, Wallace also needing to cover his face from the force. At the conclusion of the blast, Swellow unleashed a slash of wind that cut into its opponent, sending it rolling to its trainer’s feet. Ludicolo let out a sigh, fainted.

            “Swellow, return…” Noel sighed, kissing its Pokeball when it was returned.

            Wallace chucked another ball into the ocean, a Whiscash plopping in with its oblivious smile. Once again, Noel tossed Ludicolo’s ball out into the field. She figured that the damage it had sustained with Wailord wasn’t significant enough to deter its progress here. The effects of Tentacruel’s Rain Dance were still in effect, which meant that her own Ludicolo had a speed upgrade, making her smirk.

            “Go right into an Energy Ball!” she ordered.

            Ludicolo did as it was asked, a huge blast of energy charged straight for the smiling creature in the water.

            “Use Muddy Water.” Wallace stated calmly, as usual.

            A huge wave of water, mixed with grimy sand, flooded the sandbar. Ludicolo took a large brunt of the hit, but it didn’t affect it that much due to its typing. The issue here was the fact some of that grimy sand got into Ludicolo’s eyes. The Energy Ball made contact with Whiscash, but now Noel’s Pokemon was distracted by smudging the grime out of its eyes.

             _He’s trying to compensate for **my**  Ludicolo’s Swift Swim now. He’s trying to level the playing field by hindering our accuracy with Muddy Water._

The ground began to shake under Ludicolo’s feet, panicking it because it could no longer see clearly. Noel guided it back to its senses with her voice, but it still tried scratching the grime out of its eyes. Whiscash’s Earthquake wasn’t as powerful as Wailord’s, but it was still alarming if one wasn’t prepared for it.

            “Ludicolo, return!” she called.

             _It’s no use. If Ludicolo can’t see, we’re just wasting time. I need to end this as soon as possible!_

She chucked Swampert’s ball forward, her trusty partner popping out with a roar. Wallace’s smile grew at the sight.

            “You have to listen to me, Swampert! We have to get this done as fast as we can! So I want you to give it your all!”

            “GRUH!”

            She raised her hand to her earring, pressing the Key Stone tightly between her fingers. As Swampert underwent Mega Evolution, May, on the sidelines, watched in awe at the ferocity radiating off the duo standing before her. Her smile spread wide across her face.

            “Water Pledge!” Noel commanded.

            Because of Whiscash’s typing, Water Pledge would inflict decent damage to it, but not enough to make it faint. She knew she needed to use Focus Punch to knock it out, but that was going to be tricky with her opponent in the water. Whiscash flinched from the impact, meaning it was slowly growing weaker.

            “Rock Tomb.” Wallace asked of his Pokemon.

             _That’s it!_

Rocks from the cave behind them dislodged, racing mid-air to collide with Swampert.

            “CATCH ONE AND CHUCK IT!” she smiled and shouted.

            Turning with a grunt, her partner caught a large rock in its hands, deflecting the other ones with it, and locked eyes with Wallace as it turned back toward Whiscash. With a roar, it chucked the rock back at its opponent, making clear contact with its face. Whiscash slumped in the water, defeated by its own attack.

            “Yes!” Noel jumped for glee.

            “You shouldn’t celebrate yet, Noel.” Wallace returned his Pokemon. “I still have two Pokemon left. I’ve been saving them for just about now, all for you.”

            He released a tall Gyarados into the water in front of them, its intimidating stare shaking her and Swampert to the core. With a shiver, she returned her partner and agreed to keep it Mega-Evolved. With another ball in her hand, she chucked it into the air, her own intimidating Pokemon hovering out. Glalie hovered a fair distance above the sand, locking eyes with the serpent in front of it. Both of their faces were gruesome, and Gyarados had no effect on the ice ball in front of it. Glalie was Noel’s perfect little baby which she adored, for this very reason.

            “Glalie, Ice Beam!” she ordered.

            A jagged stream of ice burst from Glalie’s mouth, but Gyarados dodged it by bobbing its head out of the way. Its eyes locked on the rocky cave behind her, alerting her to the plan Wallace had in mind. This was a Stone Edge. As stones began to jut out of the cave walls, she shouted for Glalie to emit a flurry if Ice Beam attacks to try and break the rocks. It worked on about half of them, the other half colliding with Glalie’s icy body, making it hiss angrily.

             _That definitely hurt._  She thought with a wince.

            “Glalie, are you okay?!” she called out to it.

            It grunted at her in response, causing her to sigh in relief. She commanded a Freeze-Dry, taking advantage of the amount of moisture in the air. As Glalie absorbed the moisture around them, Gyarados prepared a wall of water around it by using its Waterfall attack.

             _If we can freeze its Waterfall, we can break through it with a Crunch attack and land a hit!_

“Go, Freeze-Dry!” she commanded. “Aim for that Waterfall!”

            Glalie growled in approval, an instant chill filling the air as an icy blast shot forward, freezing the Waterfall around Gyarados on contact. The sea serpent began to writhe in pain as some of the ice stuck to its body. Noel’s teeth chattered from the chill, but she commanded her baby forward with grace. It bore its teeth as it dashed forward to Gyarados’s height, a dark aura emanating from them. With sheer force, Glalie rammed the ice and broke through, securing a Crunch successfully. Gyarados cried out again, but opened its eyes and bore its own teeth. With Glalie being so close, Gyarados countered with a Crunch of its own, surprising the shit out of its opponent. It was a clash of fangs.

            “You’re right there, Glalie! Explode with a Blizzard!” Noel commanded.

            Glalie’s one eye gleamed mischievously, as if it were simply  _waiting_ to receive that command. A larger chill surrounded them all, Noel’s smile rivaling that of her boyfriend’s shark-like one. Clenching her fists excitedly, she watched in awe as her glorious Glalie produced a massive blizzard around its opponent.

            “’Atta boy!” she clapped to encourage it.

            Once the Blizzard was over, Glalie contently hovered back down toward its trainer, Gyarados falling into the ocean behind it. Nuzzling her cold child affectionately, she didn’t see her opponent look at her across the sandbar with a flabbergasted expression.

             _How is she nuzzling something that freezing?_

“Excellent job, Glalie.” She pulled its ball out. “Return.”

            She grabbed the Pokeball for her beloved partner again, Wallace returning his Gyarados and grabbing his final Pokemon. They locked eyes across the battlefield and they each held a confident smirk. Both balls were tossed into the air. Swampert, still Mega-Evolved, plopped into the sand, and a Milotic was released into the ocean. Its beauty struck them all, as it was truly a graceful creature.

            “We need to do this, Swampert. Okay?”

            It grunted, as usual. The rain clouds from the Rain Dance several turns ago were finally beginning to dissipate, the rain slowing to a stop. Milotic immediately began with a Hydro Pump, the speed of the stream catching Noel off guard. However, Swampert was able to counter with a Water Pledge. The strength of Wallace’s Milotic went without saying, it surely gave its opponents a cold sweat. Swampert’s and Milotic’s attacks were stuck at a stalemate, each one petering itself out before they could make any contact on their opponents.

            “Go straight into an Earthquake!” Noel shouted.

            Shoving its fists into the sand, Swampert roared and shook the ground as hard as it could muster. May had to get on all fours in order to balance, Wallace stumbled a bit, and Milotic felt the power of it in the water. Noel had to take a knee, but urged her Pokemon she was fine. Milotic took refuge in the water, disappearing for a solid ten seconds. The Earthquake stopped, all trainers returning to their feet.

             _Where is Milotic? It disappeared under the surface, but it should have resurfaced by now,_

“Dragon Pulse!” she heard Wallace shout.

            Milotic exploded from the water and, with a screech, created a powerful blast from its mouth.

            “Dodge it!” she called to her partner. “Get in close, you have to!”

            Swampert did its best to duck and weave, but eventually it was struck with the attack. While it was getting up, Noel noticed something.

             _Milotic is shining, as if a scratch was never laid on it. I know that Earthquake did damage to it._

Her memory once again flashed to her Pokemon League battle with Steven.

            “Swampert, use Surf to get close!” she called out.

            Swampert looked back at her, appalled. It was asking with its eyes, “Are you sure?”. Noel responded with a confident grin, reassuring her partner. Swampert turned back around and clenched its one fist, generating a wave of water with the other arm. It rode forward on a huge wave, half as tall as the serpent in front of it.

            “Dragon Pulse, again!” Wallace cried out.

             _Shit. Swampert won’t be able to focus if it has to dodge._

“Higher, higher!” she cupped her hands and shouted.

            With a frustrated grunt, Swampert made its wave taller, the Dragon Pulse going right through the water below its feet. To dodge another one, it made the wave shorter. The frustration on its face was apparent as it neared the serpent in the water.

            “Jump, now! Focus Punch!”

Swampert’s fist, wrapped in a powerful aura, made contact with Milotic’s face, interrupting another Dragon Pulse. Milotic fell backward into the water, Swampert joining it as it dove in, recovering from the height of its fall.

             _This way, Swampert will be able to be in close quarters with Milotic if it needs to be. This was better than initially starting in the water._

Swampert surfaced, floating comfortably, Milotic surfacing an instant later, once again not as damaged as Noel had hoped.

            “What the fuck?” she whispered to herself.

            Swampert ducked underwater at her command to dodge a Dragon Pulse. It resurfaced, looking to its trainer for further commands.

            “Surf, get some height again!”

            Grunting, it did as it was told.

             _When it gets high enough and Milotic swoops in for another attack, we need to grab it. I think it has Recover, and that’s why it keeps retreating to the water._

Milotic ducked its head close to Swampert’s wave, except this time there was frost radiating from its mouth.

            “Blizzard!” Wallace shouted.

            “HURRY! GRAB ITS HEAD AND AIM FOR THE SAND!”

            Using both hands, Swampert grabbed Milotic’s face and used the wave it was Surfing on to propel them towards the sand. The Blizzard attack couldn’t finish, and Noel cried out one last command.

            “Earthquake!”  

            Pummeling its foe into the sand, Swampert rattled the ground with another powerful Earthquake attack, Milotic being directly affected by the impact. When the attack concluded, Swampert hopped off, its opponent fainted in the sand.    

            “Wallace’s six Pokemon have been wiped out!” May called out to them. “Noel wins!”

            With an exhausted sigh, Noel sat down in the sand, Swampert running toward her and body slamming her into the sand, laughing.

            “I’m so proud of you,” she choked out. “You never cease to amaze me, buddy.”

             _That was harder than I thought. I mostly have water expertise because I’m an Aqua Admin, so I don’t have any electric types. If I had one, we could have saved time instead of wasted it._

Swampert let her sit up straight and let out the Pokemon that battled. Digging through her backpack, she found potions and other status medicine that would get her Pokemon back into shape for the upcoming battles ahead. In her concentration, she didn't notice both May and Wallace walk up to her and watch her.

            “What an astounding battle, Noel.” Wallace pierced her thoughts. “I expected nothing less from an Aqua Admin.”

            She smiled up at him, her Pokemon munching on berries to heal their wounds.

            “You’re not so bad yourself. Your Pokemon have been raised well, you were a great match.”

            They shook hands, Wallace nodding contently.

            “You’re both excellent trainers.” He motioned to May as well now. “Because I already battled May for her badge, I already knew what to expect from her. You, however, I needed to experience for myself. I wanted to see more than what you showed on-screen at the League Championship. I see you recycled some methods from your battle with Steven.”

            He was referring to Ludicolo’s Hydro Pump tactic and Swampert’s Surf and Focus Punch combination. Wallace cleared his throat, changing the subject and looking up at the Sky Pillar.

            “I fear I may have wasted your precious time, but it was something that had to be done. Make your way into the Pillar through this cave. When you reach the top, you will find Zinnia, as well as what you both seek.” He looked at May. “You have your entire team, as well as Noel’s, behind you. You will save Hoenn.”

            May nodded, her smile turning to stoic determination.

            “I unfortunately cannot enter this Holy place. You both have proven your worth. Go forward.”

            Noel stood and checked with her Pokemon to see if they were ready. Swampert, returning to its regular form, nodded. The rest of her Pokemon looked at her and did the same. With a smile, she returned them all to their balls.

            “I will return to Sootopolis and prepare for the worst-case scenario.” He looked at May sadly. “I am sorry to put you in this situation once again. I apologize if you feel that the fate of the world is always in your hands.”

            Noel looked at her too. “I’m sorry too, May.”

            He placed on hand on each of their shoulders.

            “Worry not. I have the utmost faith in you. Good luck, young champions!”

            His speech concluded, Wallace backed away from them as they both nodded, turning toward the cave entrance. It was late afternoon now, and they were running out of time. Side-by-side, the two of them entered the cave that led to the Sky Pillar.

 

**Cavern, Base of the Pillar**

May’s Blaziken guided them through the cave, using its fire as a light source. May was visibly sweating, which worried Noel.

            “When we reach the Pillar, we have to be prepared for anything. I’m not sure if there are that many wild Pokemon about, if there are any at all, but we need to be able to climb a long way. I don’t doubt you’ll be able to, May, but you need to keep your head in the game.”

            “I’m sorry.” May squeaked. “I’ve just had this…paranoia ever since I watched your battle with Wallace.”

            They began to climb a flight of stairs that led them deeper into the cavern.

            “What do you mean?” Noel asked.

            “It all seems like déjà vu to me.” She swallowed. “The successful ending to a battle, followed by the exposure to a Legendary Pokemon. Except this time, instead of me fighting Archie, you battled Wallace. Which means I’m now in the position of exposure.”

            Noel looked at her sternly. “That’s the kind of thinking that deteriorates your stability. If you keep thinking that way, Rayquaza  _will_ take advantage of you.”

            May gulped, taking a deep breath. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

            Noel sighed. “Besides,” they reached the top of the stairs, rounding the corner only to be met with more. “Zinnia may want you to battle her to test your worth for her cause.” They began to climb again, Blaziken staying ahead. “Which means, if anything,  _I’ll_  be the basis of exposure.”

            May breathed a little easier, remaining next to her Blaziken for comfort. It patted her back. With their bodies facing the opposite direction, a knot continuously built within Noel’s stomach. They couldn’t see the concern growing on her face, or the color slowly draining from her cheeks. There was a familiar fogginess in her mind that was slowly creeping back in, and she was trying her hardest to ignore it.

             _I only said that to pep her back up, but what I said is absolutely right. I have scars from Kyogre, scars that Rayquaza may be able to see. I need to prove to May that she’ll be fine, and bring the concern away from her and place it on me._

They were climbing one last staircase, a dim light at the top that led to their exit.

             _Except…there’s no guarantee either of us will be safe. While I know for a fact I’m stable, that I’m not in that dark place from before…who says that something won’t bubble back up to the surface? And who says May won’t lose her cool? She’s only sixteen. She’s terrified, the poor thing._

The light got brighter, May excitedly bouncing and pointing for her Pokemon to see.

             _I promised Archie that I would make it back safely. I promised May I would protect her from influence. I intend to keep those promises._

They walked out of the cave, the bright, late afternoon sunlight nearly blinding them. A breeze comforted their sweaty bodies, causing the two trainers to look down to see how high they were. They were approximately forty feet up, Wallace’s form long gone from the sandbar. As Noel looked up, she saw the looming Pillar surrounded by clouds, a long way above their heads. Her heart began to pound, feeling that fog trickle in. Her breath caught in her throat. Her head slowly throbbed.

             _May Arceus protect us both._


End file.
